Government planning to make Kedarnath helicopter booking process completely online
This year the booking of tickets for helicopter services for Kedarnath Dham will be completely online in the state. Till now the arrangement was that 70 percent booking was done online and 30 percent booking was done on the spot. Now this system is being done completely online.
Booking of 30 percent tickets as per Tatkal arrangement of Railways
Now this year the booking of the remaining 30 percent tickets will be done as per the ‘tatkal’ option of the Railways. Passengers who want to book after reaching Guptkashi, Sirsa etc. helipads, will be issued tickets on the same day through instant online booking from IRCTC website. This arrangement will be on first come, first served basis.
Preparing to hand over ticket booking to IRSTC
The responsibility of ticket booking is also set to be transferred from Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) to IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited) this year. For this, a letter has been sent to IRCTC on behalf of the Civil Aviation Department.
Last year 1.36 lakh pilgrims had reached through heli services
During the Chardham Yatra in the state, a large number of devotees visit Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib through heli services. Last year 1.36 lakh devotees visited Kedarnath Dham through heli services. According to Civil Aviation Secretary Dilip Jawalkar, it is being ensured that the entire booking of heli services will be done online this year. This year, there is a plan to make Tatkal booking through online medium.
