Fokker Friendship Restaurant near Chitral airport sealed
CHITRAL: The district administration has ordered to seal Fokker Friendship Restaurant near Chitral airport citing safety concerns for the airport.
The disabled Fokker aircraft was abandoned by PIA after it met with an accident following landing at the airport from Islamabad on July 16, 2004.
On landing, the aircraft did not stop before the end of the runway. It overran, lost its undercarriage and propeller blades before coming to rest in a rock field. Nobody was injured but the aircraft was written off.
Former PIA captain Shahzada Siraj Ulmulk, the owner of Hindukush Height hotel, later set up a resraurant in the aircraft.
A notification issued by Deputy Commissioner Lower Chitral Khurshid Alam Mahsud on Saturday said Mr Siraj was directed to remove the aircraft from the spot as it posed serious security threat to the operation of the airport. But he did not remove the aircraft and also failed to produce documents as proof of its ownership.
He said the chief operating officer/airport manager on Dec 13, 2018, had issued notice to Mr Siraj.
He said now directions have been issued to seal the Fokker Friendship Restaurant until Mr Siraj removes the disabled aircraft from the premises. The sealing order will remain effective from April 26, 2019 to May 25, 2019, unless withdrawn or modified, he said.
However, social media activists criticized the sealing of the restaurant and said the DC had taken the step after Shahzada Siraj exposed the district administration’s total failure in disposing of trash and garbage littered at Qaqlasht during the recent festival there.
Dear Nadir Khan! I would like to meet you if you are around. “Khoob guzregi jo mil bethengey dewaney 2.”
The question is ‘Has the security issue raised by CAA administration’? If not then it is bothering a citizen making use of a responsible government position.
My dear Nadir Khan ! It seems you have no contacts with your family and friends in Chitral. Only 08 flights were operated to Chitral during the last 7 months.Furthermore DC has no connection with the PIA sorties. Another blunder you made is the connection of Fokker Friendship retaurant with the planes landing and taking off.
Please ask some one in Chitral to update you.
Sir, I am right here in Chitral town and to be honest near this airport. I always see through my two eyes too many aircraft landing and taking off from this airport. Perhaps this is the reason the DC has sealed the restaurant for safety of passengers especially tourists.
The time is also very appropriate because it is start of tourism season in Chitral and millions of people would be rushing to our area soon from different parts of Pakistan and other countries on the call of our hero prime minister Imran Khan.
When I was writing this comment, two small planes landed at the airport and four angreez rushed towards the restaurant but after finding it shut they asked my “O Khan what happened to this restaurant.” Then I ushered them to the banner hung on the restaurant wall by its owner which states that anyone desiring to have meal should contact the DC Chitral. The angreez men expressed anger and flew back towards Ayon.
Sir, if the restaurant sealing has no connection with landing and taking off of planes at the airport as the DC said, you kindly enlighten us about the reasons, please.
Nadir Khan.
This was urgently needed keeping in view the rush of aircraft landing and taking off from Chitral airport especially since this DC came to Chitral. I don’t know but the flights to Chitral have gone up very fast in the recent past. In the past they used to be two to three PIA flights to this airport every day but now I think there are around 200 flights every week. wow what a busy airport!!
This case has two aspects as charged by the DC.
1. The Fokker aircraft body poses threat to flight operations. If that be true, what about the dozens of houses which fall in the same category, some of them being even nearer to the runway than the hollow aircraft dummy. The house of an ex DC also falls in this category. How can all others be overlooked and only the aircraft dummy be targeted
2. The fokker remain does not belong to the owner. If so it must belong to someone else and in that case that person must challenge it’s ownership and not the district administration.
3. What has ownership of the aircraft got to do with public safety? It is an entirely different case and the DC attaching the two together has clearly shown his personal involvement in a public case.
4. Bureaucrats have in the past often misused their power to bully the people. However now is the age of awareness and efficient social media etc do not allow such attitude to go unchecked.
Any bureaucrat who takes up personal cudgel with individuals is virtually unfit for the job and must be taken to task by his seniors.