A plane carrying Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was diverted to Kolkata on Friday morning, after it failed to land in Bhubaneswar due to inclement weather, a state minister said.

Majhi, who was on a five-day tour to Delhi, was scheduled to land at Bhubaneswar airport around 9.45 am.

“The flight could not land at the airport here, and was diverted to Kolkata due to bad weather,” Odisha’s Urban Development Minister K C Mohapatra told reporters.

Majhi returned to Bhubaneswar after halting for around an hour at Kolkata airport.

The chief minister was welcomed by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and other BJP MLAs at the Biju Patnaik International Airport.

Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan said Majhi’s flight hovered over the airport for around 21 minutes amid heavy rain, before being diverted to Kolkata.

In a statement, the Odisha government said the state-level Teachers' Day function to be attended by Majhi has been postponed to 3 pm from 11.30 am.

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