Patna, Dec. 12: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today felt the pinch of bad weather, as he flew to Saharsa for Seva Yatra three hours behind the schedule. His chopper was not allowed to take off at 11am because of dense fog.

The visibility at that time was 300m. According to the rule, a chopper can fly when the visibility is at least 1,000m. The chopper finally took off at 1.45pm.

The chief minister’s supporters were seen standing at the hangar with bouquets since 8.30am. “I thought that Nitishji would not come because the weather was bad and it was not possible for the pilot to fly the chopper. But I did not lose patience and decided that I will not leave the hangar till I get confirmed news of his arrival. I never miss a chance to wish Nitishji whenever he goes on tours,” said Anil Pathak, the general secretary of the Bihar Citizen Council.

Everyone present at the hangar thought that Nitish would head to Saharsa by road but around 1.45pm, Nitish’s security officials cordoned off the area and the chief minister boarded the chopper. The visibility was 1,200m then. Before leaving, Nitish interacted with his supporters waiting near the hangar for a couple of minutes. “I am running late and I do not want to get delayed further,” Nitish told them.