Latest news with #CharDhamYatra
The Print
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Too much traffic & too little control, why Char Dham route is a hotbed for chopper crashes
Last Sunday, a 2-year-old was among the seven on board the civilian helicopter that crashed due to low visibility and weather conditions. The Bell 407 (VT-BKA), operated by Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd, went down near Gaurikund between 5.30 am and 5.45 am. Following the crash, an FIR was filed against two company officials for allegedly violating protocols set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). And beyond the numbers is the rising human toll as a result of a system showing signs of deep failure. New Delhi: Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra route is increasingly grimly linked with recurring aviation disasters. The crash last week marked the fifth helicopter incident in just 6 weeks. While other pilgrimage sites like Vaishno Devi have seen occasional crashes (the last reported fatal crash in 2015), the frequency and severity of incidents along the stretch to Kedarnath are alarmingly high. Apart from the latest incident, in the past 6 weeks, the route has seen two fatal crashes claiming 13 lives and two emergency landings due to technical snags—one involving an air ambulance. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a comprehensive audit of past helicopter incidents in the state, asked for installation of more weather cameras, use of double engine choppers and also instructed UCADA to follow the Vaishno Devi heli service model. Chopper crashes on the Char Dham yatra route often stem from a lethal mix of factors—treacherous terrain, frail aviation infrastructure, sudden weather shifts, operator error or pilot misjudgment, and regulatory oversight. Moreover, pilgrimage heli-tourism is not a one-player game. With multiple stakeholders involved like operators, the DGCA and the UCADA, the question isn't just who made the mistake, but who allowed it to happen. An accident report following the crash of a chopper, also operated by Aryan Aviation, in 2022—in which seven people lost their lives—and another on a 2023 incident, involving the death of a UCADA official struck by a helicopter's tail rotor, both cite the absence of Air Traffic Control (ATC) in Kedarnath as a contributing factor. The 2022 Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report notes that the flight crew failed to properly assess weather conditions before take-off, highlighting the absence of meteorological stations or Met personnel to provide accurate weather updates. Meanwhile, the 2023 incident report points out that the mandatory safety briefing for passengers was not conducted in accordance with standard operating procedures (SOP). These reports underscore systemic mismanagement, a shortage of operational personnel, and critical limitations stemming from the lack of ATC presence. 'Saying what the pilot or operator did wrong is easy,' a former pilot who has flown this sector, notes. 'The harder question is, why things can go wrong at all.' Pilgrimage traffic on the Char Dham route has surged. Numbers have climbed steadily—16.5 lakh in 2024 and 19.6 lakh in 2023—with a dip seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sources familiar with the situation say nearly 11 lakh pilgrims have visited Kedarnath in just the past 2 months this year. ThePrint speaks to experts and key players to understand what's driving the rise in such accidents. Are repeated warnings being ignored? Is poor oversight, coupled with negligible ground-level accountability, fuelling risks in an increasingly commercialised system? Also read: DGCA enhances safety inspections of Air India's Boeing Dreamliner fleet 'Fly maximum, take maximum' Experts ThePrint spoke to point to a range of factors behind such incidents—chief among them a revenue model driven by the principle of 'fly maximum, take maximum'. Another concern is helicopter shuttle services' competitive pricing as compared to traditional pony rides to Kedarnath. A tour and travel agent ThePrint spoke to quoted Rs 7,000 for a round-trip pony ride to Kedarnath. Helicopter ride prices also fluctuate between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000, and are capped by the government. The tickets, too, are available exclusively on the IRCTC website, with UCADA determining the number of tickets sold. Currently, a total of nine chopper operators—functioning in three clusters of Guptkashi, Phata and Sersi—selected through a tender process by the UCADA, operate along the Char Dham route. The latest tender addendum, issued in 2023 and available online, for a 3-year period, stipulates that operators must pay a royalty inclusive of GST equal to Rs 5,000 per landing at the Shri Kedarnath Ji helipad, and Rs 3,000 per landing at the Ghangaria helipad, both owned by UCADA. In case it is not paid every 7 days, the operator shall be liable to pay an interest at the rate of 18 percent per annum on the shuttle royalty. UCADA will charge each shuttle operator 3 percent of the ticket price (including GST) as a Yatra Facilitation Charge. Passengers may also be charged a booking or convenience fee by the authorised ticket booking agency, in addition to the ticket price, which is the IRCTC. However, sources in the know, said that these have been increased this year. 'The rise in the number of tourists, the low rates for choppers puts pressure on the pilot and the operator to break even,' said Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (Retd). 'The operators have to also pay penalties in case of defaults, apart from the other fees put on them. The operator only gets the limited pilgrimage period to recover costs and so functioning in this pressure becomes a factor in erroneous calls. The government must get aviation professionals to helm UCADA and make a fresh audit of how operations should take place in the tricky Kedarnath valley,' he added. The pilots operating these choppers are predominantly ex-servicemen due to their combined experience in helicopter and hill flying. The number of civilian pilots flying is minimal. According to sources in the know, the pilots are paid a fixed monthly salary by the operators, but also receive under-the-table cash incentives due to the high demand. There are no enforced work hours, and though flight duty time limitations (FDTL) exist on paper, pilots often fly without logging their hours. The PIB release on Sunday's crash said, 'The helicopter took off from Guptkashi at 05:10 hrs and landed at Shri Kedarnath Ji Helipad at 05:18 Hrs. It departed again at 05:19 Hrs for Guptkashi and is reported to have crashed near Gaurikund between 05:30–05:45 Hrs.' That means that six passengers were dropped and another six were taken up in that one minute, implying turnover pressure. ThePrint reached DGCA via text and Aryan Aviation via email for a comment. This report will be updated if responses are received. Experts noted that while UCADA allots flight slots to each of the nine operators, the operators themselves handle flight communication and decide which chopper takes off when. As per standard protocol, a maximum of six helicopters are airborne at any given time and each helicopter ride lasts approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on which helipad it's taking off from. Following the recent incident, the DGCA imposed a new cap, effective immediately: no more than four helicopters can fly in the valley at any given time, although a total of six choppers can remain airborne in the wider area. It also capped the number of flights to nine per hour, almost half of what operated earlier. As a result, the number of daily sorties has dropped from 250-300 to around 140-150. However, before the onset of rains, 152 sorties were reportedly conducted last Saturday alone. These are single-engine helicopters operated by just one pilot. 'Earlier, in 2006-2007, there would be 15-20 sorties, now there are 250-300 daily,' said a retired Indian Air Force pilot who has flown over this sector. Speaking to ThePrint, Sonika Singh, former CEO, UCADA said, 'Operators have read the tender conditions and then taken part in the bidding process. UCADA isn't pressuring them for anything. Operators may be pressuring the pilots for profit margins, we can't deny that.' In a late night reshuffle Thursday, IAS officer Sonika Singh was relieved of her responsibilities at UCADA. 'Chartered chopper services charge up to 2.5 lakh for the Char Dham yatra. We cannot not cap the prices for the common public. It is a very commercialised business. There are multiple stakeholders in this and policies have to be formed keeping in mind the common man,' Singh added. Also read: India's pilot training pipeline is broken. Crores spent, old aircraft, long wait for jobs How are rules being flouted Insiders in the multimillion-dollar helicopter pilgrimage business allege deep-rooted negligence, with operators and pilots routinely flouting regulations. They point to lax oversight by UCADA and a lack of ground-level accountability. Common violations include falsified flight logs to conceal excessive pilot hours, off-the-books cash incentives for extra trips, black market ticket sales, and disregard for weather protocols. A pilot familiar with the Char Dham route said to ThePrint, 'UCADA needs to be revamped and the bidding process can't be an open langar. Checks and balances are only on paper. Faulty parts are used, technical snags are ignored by operators so that no sorties are missed. Only when UCADA terms and conditions are changed, including their financial clauses on penalties, with the insight of aviation experts, can we expect a solution'. 'There are DGCA-imposed limits for pilot fatigue management. It merits scrutiny how operators and pilots are able to fill the ever-increasing demand for helicopter rides in a sector that has seen slow uptick in regulations that affect the supply side. Often, violations only come to light when an accident occurs,' said Commander K.P. Sanjeev Kumar (retd), a former Navy test pilot. 'The FDTL caps flight time at 7 hours to mitigate fatigue-induced errors. However, the pressure to fly even under adverse conditions may conceal overwork. Experience can also be a double-edged sword. Higher experience may also come with higher risk-appetite that can tilt the scale in a sector where self-regulation is key,' he added. In the most recent Kedarnath crash, the FIR alleges that weather checks were bypassed and the helicopter took off earlier than the approved 6-7 am window. Aryan Aviation, the operator, was previously fined in May 2022 for safety violations, including falsified flight logs, inaccurate flying records, and not complying with maintenance schedules. 'Aryan Aviation Pvt. Ltd., along with its manager Vikas Tomar and accountable manager Kaushik Pathak, were well aware that disregarding the SOPs could result in loss of life and property. The circumstances of the accident show that Aryan Aviation Pvt. Ltd. and its managers did not comply with the SOPs issued by DGCA and UCADA and exhibited gross negligence in fulfilling their duties, which led to the accident,' the FIR said. Under joint SOPs by UCADA and DGCA, each helicopter operator is required to appoint personnel to ensure compliance. The guidelines mandate flights begin at sunrise and end 30 minutes before dusk A senior UCADA official has contradicted the slot allegation in the FIR. 'We are aware of what the FIR says. However, the sunrise was at 5.10 am that day, slots are given from sunrise to like 8 am to each operator,' the senior UCADA official said to ThePrint on condition of anonymity. Following Sunday's crash, Aryan Aviation's Char Dham Yatra operations were suspended. Two TransBharat Aviation pilots, caught flying in similarly dangerous conditions, also had their licenses suspended for 6 months. But many argue these are stopgap measures that fail to address a deeper, deadly crisis. 'These keep happening here. As long as the UCADA functions in a bureaucratic manner with negligible knowledge on aviation, and doesn't tighten the noose on operators, this will continue to happen. Entry barriers for operators need to be revisited and tightened,' another retired pilot said. UCADA & DGCA roles The incidents have raised serious questions about UCADA's role, with sources citing a lack of transparency, even in basic metrics like daily seat capacity for pilgrims. UCADA was formed in 2013 by the state government to develop Uttarakhand's civil aviation sector into a sustainable model. It not only manages the helipads used by the choppers, but also selects the operators among bidders. UCADA and DGCA work in tandem. According to Singh, UCADA is responsible for the aviation infrastructure, while technical oversight—such as taking actions on technical norms being flouted and compliance checks—falls under the purview of the DGCA. 'We are an administrative body and are responsible for infrastructure and other facilities. We do conduct random checks and also officials check from the control room, but there are multiple helipads at work, rounds of sorties every day. The operator is responsible for adhering to the operations circular by the DGCA. It is a binding contract for them. We can only administratively restrict them. The technical supervision is by DGCA and they have the final say on technical matters here. We inform DGCA on whatever we find during our random checks and whatever comes up in the live camera feeds,' Singh said. Both UCADA and DGCA have in the past taken strict measures against those found to be flouting norms, she said. 'The tender process is done by UCADA but the licensing and the respective clearances by the operators is not our department,' she explained, adding that the head of operations of the UCADA is a position with aviation expertise but it is operated from Dehradun. 'We have been in talks to expand and get people with aviation expertise. As far as the tendering process is concerned, there will be talks with all stakeholders on how to make sure that operators don't flout norms and to streamline the process,' she added. As per the two investigation reports—on the 2022 crash and the incident in 2023—the responsibility of operations in the Kedarnath valley lies with individual operators conducting operations at Kedarnath Shrine. In all three incidents, including the one on Sunday, the choppers had taken off from the Kedarnath helipad, owned by UCADA. The reports clarify that UCADA's role is limited to administrative inspections, such as helipad facilities and passenger arrangements. Technical oversight and inspections fall under the DGCA, which acts on inputs provided by UCADA. 'It was further informed that the operations in every season are started only after the inspection/surveillance of DGCA is carried out and UCADA ensures that the observations therein are actioned. They also carry out inspection in-between during the operations to check if the requirements are maintained. Most of the requirements have been made part of joint SOP,' the final investigation report on the October 2022 crash released last year notes. The reports also note that while operators are usually responsible for flights from helipads they exclusively use, accountability becomes unclear at the Kedarnath helipad, which is shared by all operators. 'Even though the helipad at Kedarnath is provided by UCADA, the responsibility of ensuring safety and availability of firefighting facilities at the helipad has also been entrusted to operators. Hence, each and every responsibility for safe conduct of flight in the region lies with the operators which means operators are allowed to conduct the flights at their own discretion without any clarity and supervision of operations,' this October 2022 final investigation report notes which was also highlighted in the 2023 incident report Weather tracking a challenge, lessons from past crashes forgotten Experts note that Kedarnath's rugged terrain offers pilots minimal room to maneuver, while sudden cloud surges and unpredictable weather add to the risks. The absence of essential ground infrastructure—like an ATC center or an Aviation Meteorological Station—at the Kedarnath helipad further compounds the challenge. Pilots and the operators crew track weather conditions using apps, data from weather stations, information from the IMD in Dehradun, camera data, photos from the helipads at the mouth of the valley and information relayed by people at local stations. The sole responsibility of accessing the weather conditions before accepting the flight lies with the pilot. Currently, pilots, crew, and operators in the valley rely on radio calls to communicate flight status from takeoff and during flight, including weather updates. Past accident reports have noted that there is no procedure to ensure all pilots successfully receive Radiotelephony (RT) calls, making the system unreliable and prone to missed communications. 'Despite recent accidents, the helicopters operating in Kedarnath are suitable for the terrain, and the pilots are highly experienced in mountain flying. The DGCA, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Department, operators, and pilots remain fully engaged in maintaining safe and efficient operations. Thousands of flights have been conducted safely over the years, but the recent incidents underscore the need for urgent review. Around 20-30 helicopters fly daily, carrying large numbers of pilgrims, making real-time supervision and alertness critical. However, ground infrastructure remains inadequate. While CCTV-based weather monitoring exists, it lacks the accuracy and sophistication of modern meteorological tools. Pilots need real-time, satellite-linked weather data to navigate the region safely,' Air Commodore B.S. Siwach (Veteran), Director General, Aviation Safety India, said. 'Airspace management is another major gap. A dedicated Air Traffic Coordination system is essential for managing high traffic volumes and ensuring timely weather updates. Given the revenue generated from these operations, the Civil Aviation Department must invest in safety infrastructure. Safety cannot rely on reactive fixes. A long-term, technology-driven strategy is needed. An independent expert body should be formed to audit operations, identify gaps, and recommend actionable reforms. These must be implemented swiftly to restore public confidence and ensure lasting safety,' he added. Former UCADA CEO Sonika Singh echoed similar sentiments. 'Here, the pilots are flying from one height to another, crossing hills and the valley. The weather conditions change rapidly,' highlighting the need for an ATC centre. Without ATC now, the responsibility of controlling the air traffic in the valley also lies with the operators themselves. 'Right now, everything is done manually, including watching and monitoring take offs and landings and weather conditions. With an ATC, everything will be streamlined. We are also in talks with IMD for a meteorological station. Right now, weather information is taken from Dehradun,' she said, adding that these measures will also help keep tabs on operator errors. There are some weather cameras installed at entry and exit points, but she said that these aren't helpful in determining cross-valley weather conditions. After Sunday's crash, UCADA was instructed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to conduct a thorough checking of all helicopter operators and pilots before flights resumed two days after the incident. A command-and-control room is also to be set up in order to monitor real-time flight operations and send alerts. In a 2023 response, the MoCA had stated that DGCA checks compliance of rules during certifications and before granting permit to operate commercial operations, and also post certification. The response also notes that the DGCA's operations circular on pilgrimage helicopter services mandates additional safety measures, which must be followed by all stakeholders—including shrine boards, state governments, and helicopter operators. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: Pilots flying your planes are stressed, sleep-deprived. 'It wasn't as intense earlier, now it's chaos'
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Uttarakhand sets up committee to prepare SOP for safe operation of choppers
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government has set up a committee to prepare standard operating procedures (SOP) for the operation of helicopter service in the state. The committee, which has been constituted against the backdrop of 13 deaths in five incidents involving choppers over the last six weeks, will be headed by state home secretary Shailesh Bagauli. It will submit its report by August 15. Bagauli said the committee will analyse the causes of helicopter accidents and prepare a comprehensive report outlining the necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future. It will also come up with recommendations regarding manpower, equipment, and administrative reforms for Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) and review the existing SOPs formulated by the state's aviation authority. The panel is expected to update the SOP and give suggestions to strengthen the weather information and communication system. The committee will also recommend measures to enhance the existing air traffic management system in the state. A Bell 407 helicopter, operated by Aryan Aviation, crashed en route to Guptkashi from the Kedarnath shrine on June 15 amid poor visibility in the region. It was the fifth helicopter accident since the Char Dham Yatra began on April 30 this year. The crash highlighted safety concerns over helicopter operations serving the Char Dham pilgrimage route, which includes four sacred Hindu temples. The routes see tens of thousands of pilgrims annually, many using helicopters to navigate the treacherous mountain terrain. According to data released by the state government, 49,247 devotees have used heli services Char Dham yatra this year. Eight companies are operating from nine helipads this season. The civil aviation ministry said preliminary findings suggest 'controlled flight into terrain'. Operations for Aryan Aviation were suspended immediately and an investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was launched. The other members of the committee are the state's civil aviation secretary, disaster management secretary, chief executive officer of UCADA, executive director, Airspace Management, Government of India, executive Director, Air Traffic Management, Government of India, an official nominated by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, an official nominated by AAIB, an official nominated by India Meteorological Department (IMD), and one member each from among operators/pilots nominated by DGCA and UCADA.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Helicopter accidents in Uttarakhand
A crashing sound disturbs the tranquillity of the mountains in Gangnani town — situated over 6,000 feet above sea level — in Uttarakhand. It was the sound of a helicopter ferrying pilgrims shattering in the valley, leaving six dead. The accident, which took place on the morning of May 8, just eight days after the Char Dham Yatra began, made headlines. Gangnani is known for its hot water springs and is the gateway to Gangotri in the Himalayas, where Hindu pilgrims worship at the temple there dedicated to the Goddess Ganga. The river originates about 20 km upstream from here at the Gaumukh glacier. Gangotri is the second pilgrimage spot of the Char Dham, or four religious spots for Hindus: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. On the same day that the chopper crashed, some 180 km from Gangnani, at Sahastradhara in Dehradun, Mala Patel, in her 70s, is eagerly waiting for her chopper to arrive from the Himalayan Heli Services tour operator. She had flown all the way from Florida in the U.S. to take the yatra, which runs for six months every year, from April or May to October or November. 'Those sitting in my chopper were in a dilemma about flying to the temples after the crash. But I was sure. My conviction grew stronger when I saw that the pilot was wearing a sandalwood tika on his forehead and held Rudraksha beads in his hands, just like Lord Shiva. For a moment, it felt as if the god himself had come to fly me to his abode in Kedarnath,' says Mala, a chartered accountant. Known as the backbone of Uttarakhand's economy, each year the Char Dham Yatra sees larger crowds than the previous year. This year, the footfall has been over 32 lakh in the first 50 days. Tragically, this year the pilgrimage has seen five chopper accidents in less than two months, with 13 lives lost. The privately-owned companies offering Char Dham tours on choppers, which cost anything between ₹2 lakh and ₹2.5 lakh per person, say that the accidents meant many cancellations, but there were still enough to keep their businesses afloat. Helicopters are the quickest, most convenient way to get to the temples, all in the high Himalayas. Until about a decade ago, the journey by road and then the trek up to the gods took 10-12 days across the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. With more and more people visiting, the queues lengthened, entailing a wait of 2-6 hours outside the temple, for the glimpse of god. The Central government has announced a ropeway, which will take more people to the area. Faith matters, so does time Naman Garg, 36, who works in a Hyderabad-based tech company, had booked a Char Dham Yatra package in a chopper for his family at about ₹13 lakh. His wife, in-laws, and two other relatives accompanied Garg. It took them four days to complete the pilgrimage. 'I get limited leave every year, and I need to save some up for health emergencies and some for the children. For working people like me, chopper services work well, rather than all the time it takes to trek to the Char Dham,' Naman says. He feels the gods don't force people to sweat to meet them. He has been saving money to take the yatra for months. 'When Indians can spend so much on weddings, then why not on spiritual journeys which are equally important?' he adds. The all-weather road, the construction of which began in 2016, has made the journey smoother, but the frequent landslides that occur in the hills due to the construction and the fact that the Himalayas are young mountains, has added to the woes of pilgrims. In peak yatra season, the road to Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi, the three districts that house the four temples, remains packed day and night. The services included in the Char Dham Yatra package in a chopper are an attraction for pilgrims, says Rajni Sarkar, 48, who has been living in Singapore since 1999 and took the yatra on her 25th wedding anniversary last season. Sarkar, who claims she has been religious since childhood, was drawn further into the faith after she suffered a serious ailment over a decade ago. Since then, she has visited Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir on a chopper every year. She says she has been to almost all the major temples in India, and even came to take a dip in the Ganga during the Maha Kumbh that took place in January-February this year in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Some Char Dham Yatra packages include hotels and a 'VIP darshan', where pilgrims can cut the queue and view the idol in a few minutes of landing. 'The hotels they had booked were so comfortable. The VIP darshan, even the special abhishekam (purifying the idol) at Kedarnath, was soul-stirring,' says Sarkar, who in one day went to the temple eight times, twice on a VIP pass arranged by the operator. She feels choppers are a boon for elderly and ailing pilgrims. Ajay Singh, 53, who took a 16-km trek to Kedarnath at an altitude of over 4,200 feet, didn't get a second to glimpse the idol. He says the priests pushed him out of the sanctum sanctorum, which was crowded with devotees who had no VIP passes. 'People have made this pilgrimage a joke. They cling to their VIP status even at god's door. I see crowds clicking selfies at the temple and hardly anyone pauses to inhale the fresh air that the place offers,' says Singh. The chopper business Abhishek Ahluwalia, the director of Diamond Hospitalities, which has been offering chartered helicopter rides for 15 years now, says there are 15-16 aviation companies running 25-30 single-engine helicopters for the Char Dham Yatra. He estimates they make about ₹400-₹500 crore collectively during the six-month season. This includes helicopter services, VIP passes, taxi services, and hotels. Ahluwalia says the supply always falls short of the demand from customers, who are usually non-resident Indians, corporate employees, politicians and their kin, bureaucrats, influencers, Bollywood personalities, and industrialists. 'This year, we had planned for an extraordinary rush but the yatra remained a bit disturbed, first due to the India-Pakistan tension and then due to bad weather and crashes,' he adds. The chopper companies use helipads constructed by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), formed by the Uttarakhand government in 2013. Companies pay the government for parking, landing, taking off, and hangar services, says Sonika, UCADA CEO. Chopper services generally operate in the initial 40 days of the yatra and remain suspended for the rainy season, from July onwards. They again start in the last month of the yatra, when the weather is suitable for flying. A senior official from the UCADA says the per-hour cost of running a helicopter in Uttarakhand is ₹1 lakh to ₹1.2 lakh. It takes 7-8 hours to complete the Char Dham circuit in a chopper. 'Choppers are expensive and accessible only to a few. To ensure that people who cannot afford the service but are unable to trek up, the government has started shuttle services. These fly from three spots: Phata, Sersi, and Guptkashi,' he says. Nine privately-owned companies run these shuttles, whose prices were kept between ₹6,000 and ₹8,000, he adds. This is almost the same as ponies and palanquins. Aryan Aviation and Kestrel Aviation have been suspended since the crashes. Each shuttle is allowed to run for eight hours, and they collectively ferry over 2,000 pilgrims to the Kedarnath temple in a day. Apart from this, over 8,000 registered ponies and palanquins also run on the temple route, taking the total business of ferrying pilgrims to the hill to around ₹100 crore, Uttarakhand government data show. The government estimates the Char Dham economy is worth ₹7,500 crore. Manoj Agarwal, 51, a solar panel supplier from Agra, booked the Kedarnath chopper shuttle for himself and his wife. He had tried to for many years, but had never been able to get seats. 'This year, when I saw an advertisement of IRCTC's (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) special Char Dham Yatra train, I booked. The train brought us from Agra to Rishikesh, from where a bus took us to Rudraprayag, and the helicopter shuttle took us to the Kedarnath temple. It was a divine experience,' he says. Then he pauses when he realises that the date of his return to Agra and a chopper crash that killed seven was the same: June 15. The challenges in the valley A veteran pilot employed in the shuttle service says flying on the Kedarnath route may be lucrative for companies, but is dangerous for pilots. He alleges that with no radar, air traffic control system, and real-time weather monitoring, it is risky. 'With weather changing every minute and unavailability of emergency landing spaces, flying a machine in Kedarnath is risking the lives of both the pilgrims and the pilot,' says another pilot, who was previously with the Indian Air Force. After the June 15 crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a regulatory body primarily responsible for safety, put out a press release that said the UCADA had been directed to hold a comprehensive review with all operators and pilots before any resumption of services. It also said that the UCADA will establish a command-and-control room to monitor real-time operations. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed the DGCA to post officers from Airworthiness, Safety, and Operations to oversee all helicopter activity in the Kedarnath valley. Atul Vikram, an advocate from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, who lost his 19-year-old daughter Tushi and mother-in-law Vinod Devi, 66, in the June 15 chopper crash, says the shuttle service provider didn't follow the rule of only flying after sunrise and never in bad weather. 'My father-in-law and son, who had gone along with them, but were travelling in a different helicopter, told me that they were running shuttles like tempos,' he says. Manish Rawat, a resident of Sersi, the village in Kedarnath valley from where one of the helicopter services operates out of, calls the choppers 'monsters destroying the flora and fauna of the abode of god'. He says in season, they are as common as birds in the sky. 'They land and take off one after the other. They are disturbing meadows, glaciers, and animals. How are you a devotee if you are contributing to the destruction of god's abode?' he says. The National Green Tribunal, in 2017, had directed the Uttarakhand government to ensure that no helicopter flies below the altitude of 600 metres in the Kedarnath valley, to mitigate noise pollution and potential disturbance to wildlife. The rule is frequently violated by the heli companies, says Brijesh Sati, general secretary, Uttarakhand Char Dhaam Teerth Purohit Mahapanchayat, a group of Char Dham temple priests. 'Heli services were started as a pilot project for the elderly and ailing pilgrims. It has now become a way to generate money for the companies as well as for the government. These companies overload their machines,' alleges Sati, meaning they run choppers overtime. Politics on the pilgrimage When a reporter questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party's national general secretary and Uttarakhand head, Dushyant Gautam, about party's stand on the chopper crashes, he said, 'Jo log mar bhi rahe hain, dukh tho hai hi unka, lekin aap chalaogey helicopter jisme na marey log (The people who are dying — we are sad, but you go run a helicopter service in which people don't die).' The BJP is in power both at the Centre and in Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand Congress condemned Gautam's 'irresponsible' remarks and alleged that the accidents took place due to a callous administration and poor rules. Suryakant Dhasmana, the vice president of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, asked the government to strictly implement the air traffic control rules in the State and take strict action against companies that play with the safety of passengers. He also demanded timely safety audits of the machines. 'Chopper accidents happen every year and the government suspends licences of pilots, sometimes debars the aviation firm, but no action is taken against its own officials,' Dhasmana says. After the June 15 crash, the government filed an FIR against the aviation firm and cancelled the licence of two pilots for violating norms. Chetan Sharma, from Delhi who works at a public sector undertaking, has made the pilgrimage to Kedarnath every year since 2019, sometimes trekking, sometimes taking a chopper. He feels it doesn't matter how believers reach god. He cites the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed at least 270 people. 'Life and death are ultimately in the hands of god,' he says. (With inputs from Jagriti Chandra) Edited by Sunalini Mathew Chopper accidents in 2025 on the Char Dham route May 8: Six people died when a privately-owned chopper ferrying six pilgrims from the Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani. May 12: A privately-owned helicopter returning from Badrinath to Sersi with pilgrims on board was forced to make an emergency landing due to poor visibility; no casualties. May 17: An air ambulance crashed in the Kedarnath valley leaving the machine dysfunctional; no casualties. June 7: A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway after developing a technical snag during take-off; the pilot was injured. June 15: Seven people died in a helicopter crash on its way back from the Kedarnath temple.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Five arrested after video shows them using sticks to attack each other at Kedarnath
Five people were arrested by the Rudraprayag Police after a video of an altercation at the Sitapur parking lot near Kedarnath went viral Thursday. An FIR has been registered under 190 (unlawful assembly), 191(1) (rioting) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, naming all five involved after the incident took place on Thursday morning, officials said. In a statement, the police said, 'A video of a violent altercation went viral on social media today, in which several individuals can be seen engaging in a stick fight and attacking each other. Taking cognizance of the video, the Sonprayag police visited the incident site, Sitapur parking, and conducted an inquiry. It was found that the incident occurred around 11 am today. The clash reportedly broke out between some pilgrims and Sitapur parking staff over an unspecified issue and escalated into a physical fight involving sticks.' Police further questioned the parking contractor and others on the spot, and based on the inquiry, an FIR was registered at Sonprayag police station. A total of five individuals named in the FIR have been arrested and produced before the court. The accused have been identified as Deepak Chandra, 23, Laxman Singh, 32, Rajender Kohli, 33, Sudarshan Chandra, 28, and Durgesh, 21, all residents of Rudraprayag. Superintendent of Police, Rudraprayag, Akshay Prahlad Konde, said that the parking contractor has also been held accountable for failing to control his staff properly. 'Strictest possible action will be taken in such matters. This kind of behaviour towards pilgrims visiting the Char Dham Yatra is completely unacceptable under any circumstances,' he said. So far, over 11 lakh pilgrims have visited Kedarnath, the highest among the four shrines in Char Dham circuit. Aiswarya Raj is a correspondent with The Indian Express who covers South Haryana. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism and the University of Kerala, she started her career at The Indian Express as a sub-editor in the Delhi city team. In her current position, she reports from Gurgaon and covers the neighbouring districts. She likes to tell stories of people and hopes to find moorings in narrative journalism. ... Read More
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Landslide claims two on trek route to Kedarnath
DEHRADUN: TRAGEDY returned to haunt the ongoing Char Dham Yatra, as a major landslide claimed the lives of two palanquin-bearers and severely injured three others near Jangal Chatti on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath route, even as a three-day halt in helicopter services has brought significant surge in traditional transport businesses like palanquins and 'ghori' operations. Five workers associated with the 'Palki and Dandi-Kandi' services were caught in the sudden calamity, suffering severe injuries. Despite immediate efforts, two of the injured succumbed to their wounds. The deceased have been identified as 18-year-old Nitin Kumar, and Chandrashekhar, both palanquin-bearers by livelihood and hailing from Doda district of J&K.
