Stop helicopter operations on Chardham Yatra route: Activist to DGCA
Social activist Anoop Nautiyal urged DGCA to halt helicopter operations on the Chardham Yatra route and build suitable infrastructure suitable for safe flying
Dehradun, Jun 16 (PTI) Social activist Anoop Nautiyal on Monday asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to halt helicopter operations on the Chardham Yatra route for the entire pilgrimage season this year and instead, build an infrastructure suitable for safe flying in the challenging Himalayan terrain.
"Since we have had five heli crashes in the past 6 weeks, why can't you simply put a complete stop on helicopter operations for this year's yatra season. This time should be utilised in preparing the much needed infrastructure for aero safety on the Char Dham Yatra route," Nautiyal wrote in a post on X addressing the DGCA.
He emphasised that the lives of pilots and pilgrims are at risk with "no ATC, no radars and no real-time weather updates".
Calling it 'suicidal' to allow planes to fly in this landscape without adequate infrastructure, the activist further claimed that pilots are flying blind in a terrain where the weather can change in the blink of an eye.
Nautiyal, founder of the Dehradun-based environmental action and advocacy group Social Development for Communities Foundation, also copied the PMO in his post.
Helicopter operations on the Yatra route were suspended for two days soon after an Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd helicopter crashed while returning from Kedarnath early on Sunday, killing all the seven on board, including pilgrims, the pilot and a 23-month-old toddler. PTI