A day after a private chopper with pilgrims on board crashed, killing an engineer, the State civil aviation department has found itself in the dock. It is learnt that the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) had categorically asked the state civil aviation department to suspend chopper service from four helipads located at Sahastradhara, Badrinath, Harshil and Kharsali on May 17 as the on- the- ground situation there, including basic infrastructure and standard operating procedures (SOP), was found far from satisfying, given the norms, as viewed from the perspective of the passengers’ safety.
It had asked the officials to send compliance report to DGCA by May 31. And significantly, the helipad where the chopper crashed on June 10 was one of the four helipads on which the director general of civil aviation had put the suspension order. On June 10, DGCA had sent a reminder a few hours after the crash, mentioning- while invoking the May 17 letter- that the department had failed to act on its instructions, prompting it to suspend operation from these four helipads with immediate effect.
However, it had made exemption for the helicopters which had already taken off to land at them. However, the State Government has received some relief after the civic aviation officers requested the DGCA to allow the chopper service from these four helipads continue for a certain period of time. It is learnt that DGCA has allowed them to keep the chopper service continue till June 16 with a stern warning that in case the State Government fails to set things in order a permanent ban on these helipads would be imposed.
However, the State Government has received some relief after the civic aviation officers requested the DGCA to allow the chopper service from these four helipads to continue for a certain period of time. It is learnt that DGCA has allowed them to keep the chopper service continue till June 16 with a stern warning that in case the state government fails to set things in order a permanent ban on these helipads would be imposed. Despite the State Government having received a relief in the form of five-day extension, serious questions are being raised.With the Trivendra Singh Rawat government consistently claiming that they would do everything to promote tourism as an antidote to continuing migration, the officials who are supposed to implement the instruction of DGCA on the ground have failed to meet the deadline. Importantly, DGCA had fixed May 31 as the deadline for submitting action taken report to it. After they had failed to meet the deadline DGCA had asked the state government to suspend chopper service from the four blacklisted helipads from June 10. Its instruction had clearly mentioned that the choppers which had already taken off with passengers on board would be allowed to land after which no fresh take- off would be allowed. “Importantly, Badrainath helipad where the crash happened was one of the four helipads DGCA had taken a stern note of, given their paucity of infrastructure. The State Government owes an answer to the pilgrims whose lives were thrown to risk with the DGCA order being blatantly flouted,” said an observer.
As per a press note issued by the state government, Uttarakhand civil aviation development authority’s chief engineer Sitaiyya has asked the DGCA to put its suspension order in abeyance till June 16 while admitting that DGCA had given some suggestions for the safe operation of the choppers ferrying the char dham pilgrims from these four helipads which were supposed to be implemented by May 3. “We have implemented the instruction and action taken report (ATR) was supposed to be submitted to DGCA on June 12, 2017,” the release runs. It further said that DGCA has agreed to allow them to submit the ATR by June 16 and till then, the operation would continue from these four helipads.
Sources said that the chopper which met the accident was carrying passengers more than the prescribed limit, resulting in the pilot losing control while taking off.
Critics say that the incident has buttressed the objection raised by DGCA that these four helipads are not fit for chopper operation in terms of their dismal security infrastructure. “The State Government might have dithered, thinking that the suspension of the operation from these four helipads, ferrying the pilgrims, would send a wrong message to them, the pilgrimage now going on in full swing. However, this argument would stand to no reason, given the fact that it is making the lives of the pilgrims gravely vulnerable,” said an observer, adding that it would be seen whether the civil aviation officers, guilty of flouting the DGCA norms, would be brought to book.