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A United States naval destroyer that docked in Madras on Monday has spawned a controversy after its reconnaissance helicopter flew over the city's air space. Its commander maintained that there was no violation of the air corridor, even as opposition parties termed it as a "serious development".
The helicopter took off from USS John Young of the Seventh Fleet and flew over the Madras air space for well over two hours reportedly without any permission from the authorities. It hovered above the Kalpakkam atomic power station, 70 km from Madras, early on Monday.
The ship had anchored for refuelling and stocking of supplies.
Airport Authority of India Executive Director S R Rao said the matter had been referred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for "appropriate action" after an alert air traffic controller spotted the helicopter on the radar screen.
The controller immediately informed the authorities and his efforts to establish radio contact with the aircraft failed to elicit any response, Rao said.
The commander of the American destroyer, Captain Geoffrey Pack, told journalists aboard the ship that the chopper was not on a surveillance mission but on a routine flight.
"It was not on a mission. We conduct helicopter operations on a routine basis," Pack said in an apparent bid to address concerns on the motive of the flight.
Refusing to divulge the nature and mission of the flight, Pack, however, said the local air traffic control understood the purpose of the flight and that all regulations had been followed.
The incident triggered condemnation in political parties with Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee saying it was a "serious development" and that the opposition would raise it in Parliament. The CPI-M politburo in a statement also voiced concern over the incident.
"We don't discuss the real purpose of the operation," Pack said, adding, "We have provided and will continue to provide information on helicopter operations to a responsible person.
PTI
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