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Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
6k tickets cancelled, Kedarnath choppers to be grounded till Sept 15
Dehradun: Chopper operations to Kedarnath remained suspended for the seventh straight day on Saturday after a crash killed seven people on June 15, grounding eight operators, cancelling thousands of bookings and causing financial losses over Rs 4 crore in Rudraprayag district. Sources said helicopter services are expected to resume only around Sept 15, after the end of the monsoon season. District tourism officer Rahul Chaubey said no bookings were made beyond June 22 due to the halt, which was initiated in the wake of monsoon and pending safety directives. Chaubey, who also oversees helicopter services on the Kedarnath route, said, "Around 900 tickets are being cancelled each day as the choppers are not operating since June 15, which means anything between 5,400 to 6,000 tickets have been cancelled in this duration. We are waiting for instructions from U ttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) before proceeding any further." Since the Kedarnath yatra began, 56,044 pilgrims have taken helicopter rides from Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata, while 54,209 have returned from Kedarnath to these helipads. The June 15 incident was the fifth helicopter-related mishap on the Char Dham route in 45 days. On May 8, six people died in a crash near Gangotri In response to the rising number of crashes, Uttarakhand high court took suo motu cognisance of the June 15 incident and sought a reply from the state on safety lapses. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed the implementation of stricter norms, including the deployment of twin-engine helicopters, mandatory real-time weather cameras, and regular fitness checks for choppers. He also ordered a command-and-control centre to be set up in Dehradun. Environmental concerns have also surfaced, with residents and activists flagging the ecological toll of frequent helicopter traffic on the fragile Himalayan region, calling for operations to be suspended until proper safeguards are enforced.
India Gazette
4 days ago
- India Gazette
Uttarakhand: Kedarnath Yatra witnesses 11.4 lakh pilgrims till June 18
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 18 (ANI): In the 48 days since the doors of Shri Kedarnath Yatra were opened, the number of devotees arriving for the pilgrimage as of Wednesday has crossed 11 lakh 40 thousand. The Kedarnath Yatra doors for the year 2025 were opened for devotees on May 2. According to an official release, local hotels, restaurants, traders, and small businesses like horse-mule, heli, and dandi-kandi services collectively did business of about three billion. The local traders, women self-help groups, taxi operators, and people associated with any kind of business are getting full benefits of the pilgrimage, it added. Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Ashish Rawat said, 'Till June 18, 2,27,614 pilgrims have reached for darshan through horses and mules, which has generated an income of Rs 66 crore 73 lakh 90 thousand 350.' He also mentioned that this year about 8,000 horses and mules are registered. Due to the infectious disease equine influenza virus, horse-mule operations were also affected for a few days. The heli services play a very important role in the Kedarnath Yatra, as they give devotees who are unable to walk to complete the Yatra an opportunity. This service also generates income. Emphasizing this, District Tourism Officer and Nodal Heli Service official Rahul Chaubey said that this year eight heli companies are operating from nine helipads. Till June 18, 49,247 devotees have reached Baba Kedarnath Dham through heli services, which has generated an income of about Rs 60 crore, he added. Chaubey also appealed to devotees to book heli services only through the official website of IRCTC. The operation of dandi-kandi, which is considered safer for small children, has also generated Rs 2 crore till June 18, the press release mentioned. This includes challans and fines of Rs 4,17,000 imposed on various establishments for spreading dirt and violating other rules, it added. Additional Chief Officer of District Panchayat Rudraprayag, Sanjay Kumar, also highlighted that more than 7,000 dandi-kandi operators are registered for this year's Yatra. Assistant Transport Officer of Rudraprayag, Kulwant Singh Chauhan, said that this year 225 vehicles are registered for shuttle service in the Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra, the release mentioned. Till June 18, the taxi operators have earned around Rs 11 crore 40 thousand through the shuttle services. (ANI)
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
11.4 lakh Kedarnath pilgrims add Rs 300 crore to local economy in 7 weeks
Dehradun: The Kedarnath yatra generated around Rs 300 crore in 48 days since the temple reopened on May 2, with over 11.4 lakh pilgrims visiting the shrine until Wednesday. The pilgrimage, which has become a major economic driver for the region in recent years, brought significant income through transport, hospitality and support services. "Horses and mules played a crucial role. They ferried 2.27 lakh devotees to the temple, generating Rs 67 crore. Around 8,000 animals have been registered for this season," chief veterinary officer Dr Ashish Rawat said. "District tourism officer Rahul Chaubey added, "Eight helicopter companies operating from nine helipads ferried over 49,000 pilgrims. They earned around Rs 60 crore." The dandi-kandi (palanquin) services, supported by more than 7,000 registered operators, contributed Rs 2 crore. Shuttle taxis operating from Sonprayag to Gaurikund, with 225 registered vehicles, served over 7 lakh pilgrims and brought in more than Rs 11 crore. Hotels, restaurants and tents along the route earned Rs 150 crore. More than 2,000 such establishments are currently in operation, including 350 in Gaurikund. GMVN's rest houses and caves generated Rs 5 crore in revenue. The yatra, which typically sees its highest footfall between May and July, has been growing steadily in scale. In 2023, nearly 19 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath, generating close to Rs 400 crore in local earnings. To support this rise, the state govt has focused on improving registration systems, transport links and accommodation infrastructure, while closely monitoring logistics and safety protocols.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Hindu
Suspension of heli services for Char Dham ends, no sorties made due to bad weather
The suspension of heli services on the Char Dham route, ordered after a helicopter crash two days ago, ended on Tuesday (June 17, 2025) but no helicopter took off for Kedarnath due to bad weather in the Kedar Valley, an official said. Heli services on the Char Dham route had been suspended for two days after the helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation crashed near Kedarnath early on Sunday (June 15, 2025) morning amid low visibility, killing all seven persons on board. The government had given permission for helicopter operations from Tuesday (June 17, 2025) but due to unfavourable weather conditions, helicopters did not take off for Kedarnath, Rudraprayag's District Tourism Officer and Heli Service Nodal Officer Rahul Chaubey said. Announcing the suspension, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said heli operations will be resumed on the route only after properly reviewing the situation. Bad weather is said to have been one of the major factors behind the Sunday (June 15, 2025) crash. Pilots flying in the Char Dham sector have to face many challenges, including fickle weather, high altitudes and narrow valleys. After the Sunday (June 15, 2025) incident, the Civil Aviation Ministry said it has suspended the operations of Aryan Aviation for the Char Dham Yatra and has directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to immediately post officers from airworthiness, safety and operations to actively oversee all helicopter activity in the Kedarnath Valley. Also read | Helicopter-related accidents in Uttarakhand over the years: A timeline It also suspended the licences of two pilots of TransBharat Aviation for six months, as their choppers were found to have been airborne under similar unsuitable weather conditions. The Ministry said it has asked the DGCA to rigorously review the functioning of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) command-and-control room.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Hindustan Times
AAIB team starts probe in Kedarnath Dham chopper crash
Dehradun: A team from Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) arrived in Rudraprayag on Sunday evening to carry out the investigation of the chopper crash near Gaurikund that killed seven people, including its pilot and inspect the site, an official said. Rahul Chaubey, Rudraprayag district tourism officer (DTO), who also serves as nodal officer for the chopper services in the district, said, 'The AAIB officials arrived in Rudraprayag on Sunday evening to carry out the investigation of the chopper crash and inspect the crash site.' He said, 'DGCA has already conveyed to the helicopter operators to be extra cautious and not operate in bad weather.' A helicopter carrying pilgrims from Kedarnath crashed on Sunday morning at around 5.30 am, killing all seven people aboard, including a two-year-old girl, as preliminary analysis showed the aircraft went down in treacherous weather in the Rudraprayag district. Sunday's tragedy was the fifth helicopter incident on the route in six weeks: three emergency landings and another crash have killed six people during this period. The crash highlights growing safety concerns over helicopter operations serving the Char Dham pilgrimage route, which includes four sacred Hindu temples in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The routes see tens of thousands of pilgrims annually, many using helicopters to navigate the treacherous mountain terrain. Meanwhile, the police handed over the bodies of the victims to their families after postmortem. The victims included pilot Rajveer Singh Chauhan, 35, a former army officer from Jaipur; a family of three from Maharashtra — Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, 41, his wife Shradha, 35, and their daughter Kashi, 2; two passengers from Uttar Pradesh, Vinod Devi, 66, and her granddaughter Tusti Singh, 19; and temple committee member Vikram Singh Rawat, 46. Circle officer, Rudraprayag, Prabodh Ghildiyal said, 'We have handed over the bodies of the victims to their families after postmortem.' Police in Sunday registered a first information report (FIR) against two officials of Aryan Aviation Pvt Limited whose chopper crashed early morning for 'gross negligence'. The FIR was registered at Sonprayag police station against Kaushik Pathak, account manager of the company, and Vikas Tomar, manager of the company, under section 105 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and relevant sections of the Aircraft Act on the complaint of revenue sub inspector Rajiv Nakholia. Nakholia in his complaint said that the chopper of the company operated despite bad weather conditions in violation of standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) . He said there had been clouds in the sky and fog since morning, and despite knowing that it can cause loss of lives and property, the two officials of the company responsible for compliance of SOPs showed gross negligence towards their duties. Circle officer Guptkashi Vikas Pundir said, 'We have started our investigation against the accused. No arrest has been made yet.'
