The helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu for her Sabarimala visit got stuck briefly after landing at the newly concreted helipad of the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pramadam on Wednesday morning.

When the aircraft touched down, its wheels sank slightly into depressions in the not-yet-set concrete. After the President left for Pamba by road, TV visuals showed police and fire service personnel working together to push the wheels free.

A senior district police officer said the stadium was chosen as the landing site at the last minute, so the helipad was prepared late on Tuesday night. The original landing spot was Nilackal near Pamba, but poor weather forced the change.

Why did the helipad fail?

According to a senior police officer, the helipad was constructed at the last minute

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