Non secular tourism should be accompanied by extra accountable governance, each within the air and on the bottom
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This has been a sordid yr to date for Indian aviation, with the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit in Uttarkhand reporting as many as 5 helicopter crashes in 40 days — the final on June 15 killing seven folks, together with the pilot, close to Gaurikund between Kedarnath and Guptkashi. On Might 8, a crash close to Gangotri claimed six lives. On June 7, a helicopter crash-landed on to the Gaurikund-Guptkashi freeway and broken a automobile, however miraculously sufficient there have been no fatalities.
There have been critical mishaps in earlier years as effectively. It’s about time that these providers are introduced underneath strict scrutiny to stop such mishaps. The variety of helicopter customers in a season of 135 days could be near 1.5 lakh. The Directorate Common of Civil Aviation has suspended the operations of Aryan Aviation (concerned within the June 15 tragedy) and Kestrel Aviation (flying the June 7 helicopter). A press assertion by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on June 15 mentioned that the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Growth Authority (UCADA) will arrange a ‘command and management room’ to watch real-time operations, whereas ‘airworthiness and security’ officers will oversee operations within the Kedarnath valley. The DGCA has spelt out some technical standards to scale back the utmost permissible load on a helicopter.
Flying these machines in Uttarakhand is a dangerous affair, anyway. That is daunting terrain, the place mountains stand like enormous partitions, typically hid by massive, transferring clouds. Within the Kedarnath valley, the clouds are identified to materialise out of nowhere, whilst there is no such thing as a air site visitors management system or dependable micro climate forecasting to forewarn about such risks. The talents of helicopter pilots could be sorely examined. Air security would depend upon air site visitors management programs, the security of the plane, the variety of journeys, the talent and expertise of pilots and the climate within the area. Air security infrastructure should come up on the earliest, and this consists of taking inventory of the standard of the helicopters and their pilots.
A giant downside right here seems to be the income mannequin for the helicopter providers. The UCADA is reported to cost a stiff touchdown price, whereas the federal government has capped the fare at about ₹7,000. This apparently pushes operators to maximise their journeys. Based on some studies, the UCADA has now halved the variety of day by day sorties to lower than 150 from near 300. However for this norm to proceed, it’s important that fares are rationalised. It’s absurd that they’re on the similar degree as pony rides to the shrines. For the comfort of flying, passengers should pay up. It will scale back the demand for sorties and therefore the dangers concerned in operating helicopter providers like tempos. Non secular tourism, which entails offering for the wants of hundreds of thousands in a season, should be accompanied by extra accountable governance, each within the air and on the bottom. The services for pilgrims should take into consideration the topography and ecological fragility of Uttarakhand.
Revealed on June 22, 2025
