IAF calls off show as rain plays spoilsport

Jaipur: Thousands of spectators were left disheartened when they couldn't see those magnificent aircraft soaring across the sky above Jal Mahal on Sunday afternoon. Uninterrupted rain and windy weather failed to dampen the spirit of people but the Indian Air Force (IAF) had to call off the show on the last day. IAF's Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team was on a three-day tour in Rajasthan's capital Jaipur.The team performed on September 15 and 16 which saw huge turnout.
Krishna Meena who had come from Ajmer with his family said was highly disappointed as they couldn't get to see the aircrafts flying. What had irked the family more is the fact that there was no message conveyed by the organiser over cancelling the show. "The weather has been bad for a couple of days now. It has been raining since morning...if they had decided to cancel an event which is of this large scale, there should have been proper communication," he added. With nearly 30,000 people turning up and rains adding woes, the Jal Mahal and its nearby areas saw traffic going for a toss. Prachi Sharma and her friends who came from Mansarover said they walked down from Badi Chopar till Jal Mahal but went all in vain. "It's been raining yet we came from so far, walking miles only to see nothing," she said. The IAF in a statement said that "the display could not be held due to inclement weather conditions." Officials from Jaipur Police stated that an unexpected crowd turned up at the event and people probably didn't know that the show was cancelled.
"25000-30000 people had come to the venue and it was raining as well which led to a mess but police tried to disperse the crowd, situation is better now" said Prahlad Singh Krishniya, DCP Traffic.
However, as a part of the closing ceremony, Lt Gen BS Raju, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Command and other dignitaries were present. Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team, popularly known as SKAT was formed in 1996.