Chardham yatra helicopter services halted for 48 hours after deadly crash

Helicopter services on the Chardham yatra route have been stopped for two days due to a recent crash that tragically claimed the lives of seven individuals. After the incident, Uttrakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami immediately convened an emergency meeting with senior officials to address the situation. Dhami emphasized the government's top priority is ensuring the safety of passengers. As a result, helicopter operations have been paused for two days due to adverse weather conditions. Dhami instructed officials during the meeting to establish a strict SOP for helicopter operations in the state, establish a control and command center, and take necessary action against those responsible for the crash. Compliance with DGCA regulations in helicopter operations and ensuring experienced pilots for the region were also discussed. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Tourism and Civil Aviation Secretary Sachin Kurve, Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman, UCADA, and DGCA officials were present at the meeting held over video conferencing. Dhami attributed the crash to poor weather and decided to suspend helicopter operations on Sunday and Monday for the safety of pilgrims. He emphasized that there will be no helicopter services available currently, with a thorough review of the situation necessary before resuming operations. Unfortunately, helicopter accidents and emergency landings are not uncommon on the Chardham yatra route, which includes prominent shrines like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri. The recent incident involving an Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd chopper returning from Kedarnath near Guptkashi on Sunday marks the fifth helicopter accident since the start of the pilgrimage on April 30th.