Bengaluru: Beacons may have disappeared atop cars of our Netas, but the VVIP culture is far from going away.
This time round the reports have emerged that an ambulance was blocked due to an event which was to be attended by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in Bengaluru.
However, the Bengaluru police as well as the JD(S) have come to the defense of Deve Gowda, who was in the city to participate in the Kempe Gowda Jayanthi.
Speaking to media persons, Chikballapur Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy said that the procession was on the right-hand side of the road while the left side was kept open for traffic. The ambulance driver had mistakenly driven into the right side and got stuck in the procession. Way was immediately made, with even the former prime minister moving his car forward to let the ambulance pass. The whole delay may have been 30 to 40 seconds, he said adding that the ambulance was not carrying an emergency case but was instead ferrying a mother and her new born who had been referred from a hospital in Siddlaghatta to the Chikballapur Government Hospital.
Defending Deve Gowda, party spokesperson Ramesh Babu said that Deve Gowda had arrived in the city to participate as a chief guest in the event. He was not aware of an ambulance being stuck up in the procession. Terming the incident as a failure on the part of State police he said that priority should have been given to the ambulance and that the state government should take proper steps to avoid repeat of such unfortunate incidents in the interest of general public.
Interestingly, this incident comes close on the heels of a police constable being appreciated for making way for an ambulance to pass when it was stuck in a traffic jam during President Prananb Mukherjee’s visit to the city. Just a day back a Bengaluru girl too thanked the city police for coming to her aid when she was stranded at night.
