VIJAYAWADA: Amid raging controversy over how J Srinivasa Ra, the prime accused in the attack on YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Visakhapatnam airport on October 25, could manage to gain entry into the high-security VIP area in the airport, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) made it clear that Srinivasa Rao did not have either Aerodrome Entry Permit or permission to work at the cafeteria on the airport premises.
Director General of BCAS Kumar Rajesh Chandra said this in reply to a letter written by YSRC Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy to BCAS on October 30 raising several questions over security aspects and permission given to Srinivasa Rao to move on the airport premises following the October 25 attack on Jagan Mohan Reddy. One of the questions raised by Vijayasai Reddy sought to know weather Srinivasa Rao or his employer Harshavardhan submitted an Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP) application form (AEPAF) to BCAS and, if so, whether it had any mention about the criminal track record of Srinivasa Rao.
“Was there any mention about the criminal cases pending against Srinivasa Rao in the application?’’ the MP asked. In response, BCAS said neither Srinivasa Rao nor his employer submitted any AEPAF to BCAS. It also denied issuing AEP to the accused.
BCAS, to another question, said since no application for AEP was submitted to them, they had not given any permission to Srinivasa Rao to work at the cafeteria. Quoting the report submitted by the Airport Director, Visakhapatnam, BCAS said that Srinivasa Rao was issued a temporary AEP for the period from October 1 to October 30 for the Zone D. “This permitted him to go up to the check-in area of the departure terminal,’’ it said.
It made it clear that no permission was given to Srinivasa Rao or Harshavardhan to have access to key places at the airport. Vijayasai Reddy, in the letter, sought to know whether it was a fact that Harshavardhan would go up to the aircraft to receive Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu whenever he visited Vizag and who gave him permission to go directly up to the aircraft. BCAS said that receiving and sending off the CM and other VIPs is the responsibility of the State administration. However, it added that further details on the issue were being obtained.
The Bureau, in its reply, said that there were no complaints registered against Fusion Foods Restaurant run by Harshavardhan and they were collecting the records from Airports Authority of India about the persons permitted to work in restaurant.