Dehradun, Aug 1 (PTI) Uttarakhand accounted for a majority of the helicopter crashes and fatalities reported in the country over the last five years, a social activist said on Friday quoting official data.
Helicopter crashes and emergency landings are occurring at an alarming frequency on the Char Dham Yatra route in the state, with five of them reported between May and June this year, he said.
Quoting Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol’s recent statement in Rajya Sabha, social activist Anoop Nautiyal said, “In the last five years, Uttarakhand has accounted for nearly two-thirds of all helicopter accidents and fatalities in India. Of the 12 major chopper crashes reported nationwide, seven occurred in Uttarakhand. Of the 30 tragic deaths in these crashes, 21 were in Uttarakhand alone.” Nautiyal, who expressed deep concern over the aero safety scene in the hill state, appealed to authorities to put human lives above all else.
“The data presented in Rajya Sabha is a clear and troubling signal that something is fundamentally wrong about how we manage our helicopter operations, especially during the Char Dham Yatra. If Uttarakhand ever needed a confirmation that we are the most vulnerable and helicopter accident-prone state in the country, the minister’s statement in Rajya Sabha leaves no room for doubt,” he said.
Nautiyal alleged that authorities concerned are well aware of the loopholes but do not pay attention to plug them, as their prime objective is to set new records in tourist arrivals.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation India, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, the state government and other stakeholders in the state’s aviation sector know the problems and have enough ideas on how to work towards aero safety, he claimed.
“What is happening is that with scant regard for carrying capacity and safety protocols, and in a blind pursuit to establish new records in footfalls during Char Dham Yatra and other religious festivals, the entire system bends over backwards to accommodate far larger numbers than it can safely manage,” Nautiyal said.
Calling for a solution-oriented approach, he said that the first step should be a 360 degree state-level audit of all helipads and air operations, a serious relook at the carrying capacity, better coordination between aviation operators and district administrations, and above all, a commitment to putting lives before numbers and records.
He urged Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority and other stakeholders to treat this not only as a crisis but a call for action. PTI ALM ALM RUK RUK
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