Seeking 'innovative solutions' for better safety: Aviation Minister on Uttarakhand chopper crashes
PUNE: In the wake of several helicopter accidents on Char Dham Yatra route this year, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday asserted there should be no compromise on safety and said they are looking for innovative solutions for better safety measures.
Naidu said they have observed that pilots find it difficult to take off and land their aircraft during sudden weather changes, hence they will focus on use of better technology and better traffic control.
Helicopter crashes or emergency landings have been occurring at an alarming frequency on the Char Dham Yatra route in Uttarakhand, causing concern among people and the administration.
On June 15, an Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd chopper returning from Kedarnath near Guptkashi crashed, killing all seven persons on board. It was the fifth incident involving a helicopter on the pilgrimage route this year.
Asked about safety measures for the Char Dham Yatra route in the wake of the helicopter crash, Naidu said the security and safety have been the primary foundation of the Indian civil aviation, adding that "safety has been treated as the top most priority."
"There should not be no compromise on the safety aspect. For the Char Dham Yatra, we want to enhance the safety even more. We are looking into enhanced surveillance. We are creating more systems," he said.
"Since it is a hilly area, the air traffic management is challenging as there is no signal there. That is why we are looking for innovative solutions so that we can have better air traffic control," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Helicopters & Small Aircraft Summit 2025 here.
The minister said they are also working to have better processing of the weather data. "We have observed that suddenly the weather changes and pilots find it difficult to take off and land during that time. So our thrust will be on bringing in better technology, bringing in better traffic control," Naidu said.
In the next two to three months, the civil aviation (ministry) will bring in better solutions, the minister said. "By September, we will come up with new things," he added.
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