Air India flight to Delhi had been late by 45 minutes but this time it was not the inefficiency of the airline but the use, or rather misuse, of the influence of a senior bureaucrat to delay the flight according to his whims and fancies. His pleasure had cost the valuable time of 95 passengers.

J K Dadoo, joint secretary (anti-dumping and subsidies) in the commerce ministry had been late to the airport at 9.30am. By the time the boarding gates had already closed for flight AI 021. Three passengers were already denied their boarding passes 20 minutes prior to the joint secretary's arrival. But Dadoo could bend the rules making a puppet of the aviation administration. He had been initially refused by the airline staff but with his powerful presence he could call out the executive director of IA who had approved his boarding at well after the normal time. CISF  had reopened the security check after the situation was explained. so that security check for the flight could be reopened.

However, since an adjustment was made to the bureaucrat, other three waiting were also accommodated after handing out four boarding passes. Srichand Samtani, wife Chitra and S Birendra Singh were the three who benefited from the misuse of Dadoo's power. People on the flight had connecting flights abroad after the flight.

The incident had only added to the already known blatant misuse of powers by bureaucrats and politicians to their convenience. However, the blame falls of the responsible national carrier. Two years ago, a Jet Airways flight from Kolkata had left  the then aviation minister Praful Patel, after he was late for the flight due to the delay of his flight from Guwahati.

(AW- Anil)