A total of 7 people, including 6 devotees, died in a helicopter accident near Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. The state government has completely banned heli services for two days. Explain that the accident will be investigated by the aircraft accident Bureau (AAIB).
The official statement said, “Five devotees, an infant and a crew member were killed in the accident. The helicopter flew from Guptkashi at 5.10 am and landed on the helipad at 5.18 am. The helicopter flew again for Guptkashi at 5.19 am and crashed near Gaurikund. ‘
Those killed include five pilgrims, pilots and an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee. The statement issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the accident would be investigated by AAIB.
After presiding over an emergency meeting with senior officials to discuss the situation, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that heli services on Char Dham Marg will be suspended for two days, as the weather is bad and safety of passengers is the top priority of the government.
The Chief Minister has also ordered a high -level inquiry into the accident. Dhami said that those responsible for negligence should be identified, irrespective of their levels and punitive action should be taken against them.
The Chief Minister said, “It is the priority of the state government to protect the lives of common people. Life will not be allowed to play at any cost.”
He also directed the concerned authorities to issue strict SOPs (standard operating process) for heli operating in the state, set up a control and command center and take action against those responsible for the accident.
Dhami said, “A common command and coordination center will be set up in Dehradun for better coordination and safe operation of helicopter services.”
He said that officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), State Disaster Management Department, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) and companies operating heli services in the state will be part of this center.
Dhami said, “There should be no laxity in compliance with DGCA criteria regarding helicopter operations in the state. It should also be ensured that pilots flying in the upper Himalayan region are experienced.”
The meeting through video conferencing attended Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Tourism and Civil Aviation Secretary Sachin Kurve, Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman and UCADA, DGCA and Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) officials.
Claining inclement weather for the accident, Dhami said that the helicopter operations would be completely postponed till Monday.
The Chief Minister said, “The weather is bad and the safety of pilgrims is paramount. There will be no heli service today and tomorrow. Aviation companies, DGCA and UCADA have been asked to fully review the situation before starting the heli operations.”
He instructed the concerned authorities to install more and more state -of -the -art weather forecast equipment in the Himalayan region, so that accurate information of the weather can be obtained. Dhami also instructed the Rudraprayag district administration to contact the families of those killed in the accident and make proper arrangements to send their bodies to their places.
Helicopter accidents or emergency landing incidents on the Char Dham Yatra route leading to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri pilgrimage centers are increasing worrying. Aryan Aviation’s helicopter accident, returning from Kedarnath near Guptkashi on Sunday morning, was the fifth helicopter crash on the pilgrimage route since the journey started on April 30.
