Heli service to Char Dham suspended till Monday on CM’s orders
Heli service for Char Dham will remain completely closed till Monday (June 16). The flying experiences of all the heli operators and pilots engaged in Char Dham will be examined in the high Himalayan regions and the heli service will be resumed only after a meeting with all the heli operators. Now for better coordination and safe operation of heli flights in the state, a Common Command and Coordination Center will be established in Dehradun, in which officials of DGCA, Disaster Department, Civil Aviation, UKADA, Heli Operator Company will be deployed.
These instructions were given by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami during a meeting held at the Chief Minister’s residence on Sunday. The Chief Minister directed to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Secretary Home Uttarakhand. In which representatives of DGCA, UKADA, Civil Aviation Department Government of India, ATC will be members. This committee will draft the standard operating manual giving priority to public safety. The committee will submit its report before the month of September.
The Chief Minister has also given instructions to prepare a strict administrative and technical SOP (administrative and technical Standard Operating Procedure) for the operation of helicopter services in the state for the coming time. The Chief Minister has also ordered a high-level inquiry into the helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district that happened on June 15. He said that at whatever level negligence has been committed, they should be identified and punitive action should be ensured against them. He said that protecting the lives of the common people is the priority of the state government. Life will not be allowed to be played with at any cost. The Chief Minister said that only those pilots will be given permission who have long-term experience of flying helicopters in high Himalayan regions.
He said that the guidelines set by DGCA should be made more strict, which should be followed 100 percent. The Chief Minister also directed to install more number of state-of-the-art weather forecasting equipment in the Himalayan regions, so that more accurate information about the weather can be obtained. The Chief Minister also directed the District Administration Rudraprayag to contact the families of those who lost their lives in the accident and make proper arrangements to send their bodies to the respective states.
