New Delhi: Nearly three months after a star-studded event organised by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s family in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, the office of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said that it has no information about the rules and provisions which were followed to upgrade the domestic airport in Jamnagar to an international airport.For a span of 10 days between February 25 and March 5, the airport in Jamnagar, which usually has a daily average of only five domestic planes, saw a drastic rise in its air activities as multiple domestic and international flights landed and took off from the airport, which on March 1 handled a maximum of 70 flights.The Jamnagar airport is a primarily Indian Air Force (IAF) airport located close to the Pakistan border.Activist T Narasimha Murthy had filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking information about the legal basis under which the Jamnagar airport was upgraded to international status during the period when the Ambani family event took place.Replying to the RTI query, the Chief Public Relations Officer DGCA said that there was no information to give, reported Deccan Herald.“In regard to the information sought, it is informed that no such information is available with the CPIO,” it said.A number of celebrities from different countries including Bollywood and Hollywood stars had come to Jamnagar for the pre-wedding celebrations of Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant and his fiancée, Radhika Merchant.Activist Murthy told DH that the DGCA’s response raises a lot of concerns. “Citizens have a right to know how an airport, which is primarily a military airfield near the border with Pakistan, was given such a status. Do all citizens of India get similar special permissions for their family affairs? I will appeal against the DGCA’s response,” he said.Back in April, The Hindu had reported that the IAF had handled the air activities at the Jamnagar airport at the time of the Ambani family event. According to The Hindu report, the Reliance Group had written to the Defence Secretary asking for the IAF’s assistance for 24×7 operations of the airfield during the event.
