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India Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
BJP's careless air service rules responsible for Kedarnath chopper crash: Congress
The Congress' Uttarakhand unit on Sunday called the helicopter crash near Kedarnath as "extremely sad and unfortunate" and held the BJP government's "lax and careless air service rules" responsible for it.A helicopter carrying pilgrims from the Kedarnath shrine crashed early Sunday in the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility, killing all seven people on was the fifth helicopter accident on the Chardham Yatra route since the pilgrimage started on April Pradesh Congress Committee's senior vice-president (organization) Suryakant Dhasmana said that it has been just a month and a few days since the Chardham Yatra started in the state, but five helicopter accidents have already taken place."There is news of people losing their lives in today's accident, which is extremely sad and unfortunate. The lax and careless air service rules of the BJP government of Uttarakhand are completely responsible for this," he said in a statement issued said that his party had asked the state government to strictly implement the Air Traffic Control (ATC) rules in Uttarakhand and had lodged strong objection to the fact that in the rush to earn money, the helicopter companies were flouting the rules and playing with the lives of Congress leader said he had information that two other helicopters also took off from the same place, but they returned as soon as this helicopter alleged that the orders being given by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding heli services are having no effect on the heli companies operating on the yatra route."Flying helicopters in bad weather two days after the chief minister's warning is proving that the heli companies are ready to risk lives to make money," he Congress leader urged the BJP government to strictly implement the ATC rules in the state and take strict action against companies that play with the safety of said that a cleanliness audit and other safety standards in helicopters should also be strictly Watch advertisement
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Business Standard
14 hours ago
- General
- Business Standard
Helicopter crashes on Char Dham Yatra route occurring at alarming frequency
Helicopter crashes or emergency landings are occurring at an alarming frequency on the Char Dham Yatra route in Uttarakhand, causing concern among people and the administration. The latest crash of an Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd chopper returning from Kedarnath near Guptkashi on Sunday morning, which killed all seven people on board, is the fifth mishap involving a helicopter on the pilgrimage route this year. A Kestrel Aviation helicopter en route Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on June 7 after developing a technical snag shortly after take-off. It made a hard landing on the road close to populated buildings, with its tail rotor hitting a parked car. All pilgrims on board, as well as the pilot, escaped narrowly. The hard landing of the helicopter came about a month after another private chopper on its way to Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on May 8, killing six people, including five women and the pilot, and leaving one male passenger seriously injured. On May 12, a helicopter returning from Badrinath to Sersi with pilgrims on board had to make an emergency landing in a school playground in Ukhimath due to poor visibility. All pilgrims were safe. The helicopter took off again after about an hour when the weather improved. On May 17, a heli ambulance from AIIMS Rishikesh crash-landed near the Kedarnath helipad in Uttarakhand due to damage to its rear part. Fortunately, all three occupants on board a doctor, a pilot, and a medical staff member escaped unharmed. "This was the fifth mishap involving a chopper on the Char Dham Yatra route within less than one-and-a-half months of the commencement of the pilgrimage this year," state Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said. "It shows that the state government has no control over the aviation firms operating on the route. There is no SOP for chopper operations. In the mad rush for making money, the heli companies have thrown all caution to the wind. There is no cap on the number of sorties being undertaken by them in a day," Dhasmana said. Social activist Anoop Nautiyal said it appears that the state government is not learning lessons from the recent mishaps involving choppers on the Yatra route. "Four days ago, news came that there will be strict norms guiding heli operations now only 3- 4 passengers will be allowed to board a chopper, not 5- 6. However, four days later, seven people, including the pilot, died in yet another helicopter accident," Nautiyal said. If you don't want to change the system, why do you tell lies to the people? Will anyone who played with people's lives be suspended? Will anyone take responsibility? Will these helicopters be reined in after five accidents in little over a month, or will they keep crashing like this," he asked. Soon after the crash on Sunday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held an emergency meeting and asked senior officials to prepare a strict SOP (standard operating procedure) for heli services in the state, making a thorough check of the technical condition of the choppers mandatory. The Uttarakhand chief secretary has been directed to constitute a committee of technical experts, which will prepare the SOP after thoroughly reviewing all technical and safety aspects of heli operations. The committee will ensure that the operation of heli services is completely safe, transparent, and as per the prescribed standards, an official statement said. Heli operations on the Yatra route have been suspended for two days, Dhami said. Operations will resume only after the safety of all passengers is ensured. The safety of the Yatris cannot be compromised, he said. Dhami also said that weather status should be checked before heli operations. The chief minister has directed a committee constituted to investigate helicopter accidents to thoroughly probe every aspect of Sunday's crash and earlier accidents and submit a report. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Time of India
Kedarnath chopper crash: Helicopter accidents on Char Dham Yatra route occurring at alarming frequency
Helicopter crashes or emergency landings are occurring at an alarming frequency on the Char Dham Yatra route in Uttarakhand , causing concern among people and the administration. The latest crash of an Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd chopper returning from Kedarnath near Guptkashi on Sunday morning, which killed all seven people on board, is the fifth mishap involving a helicopter on the pilgrimage route this year. A Kestrel Aviation helicopter en route Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on June 7 after developing a technical snag shortly after take-off. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo It made a hard landing on the road close to populated buildings, with its tail rotor hitting a parked car. All pilgrims on board, as well as the pilot, escaped narrowly. The hard landing of the helicopter came about a month after another private chopper on its way to Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on May 8, killing six people, including five women and the pilot, and leaving one male passenger seriously injured. Live Events On May 12, a helicopter returning from Badrinath to Sersi with pilgrims on board had to make an emergency landing in a school playground in Ukhimath due to poor visibility. All pilgrims were safe. The helicopter took off again after about an hour when the weather improved. On May 17, a heli ambulance from AIIMS Rishikesh crash-landed near the Kedarnath helipad in Uttarakhand due to damage to its rear part. Fortunately, all three occupants on board - a doctor, a pilot, and a medical staff member - escaped unharmed. "This was the fifth mishap involving a chopper on the Char Dham Yatra route within less than one-and-a-half months of the commencement of the pilgrimage this year," state Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said. "It shows that the state government has no control over the aviation firms operating on the route. There is no SOP for chopper operations. In the mad rush for making money, the heli companies have thrown all caution to the wind. There is no cap on the number of sorties being undertaken by them in a day," Dhasmana said. Social activist Anoop Nautiyal said it appears that the state government is not learning lessons from the recent mishaps involving choppers on the Yatra route. "Four days ago, news came that there will be strict norms guiding heli operations now - only 3- 4 passengers will be allowed to board a chopper, not 5- 6. However, four days later, seven people, including the pilot, died in yet another helicopter accident," Nautiyal said. "If you don't want to change the system, why do you tell lies to the people? Will anyone who played with people's lives be suspended? Will anyone take responsibility? Will these helicopters be reined in after five accidents in little over a month, or will they keep crashing like this," he asked. Soon after the crash on Sunday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held an emergency meeting and asked senior officials to prepare a strict SOP (standard operating procedure) for heli services in the state, making a thorough check of the technical condition of the choppers mandatory. The Uttarakhand chief secretary has been directed to constitute a committee of technical experts, which will prepare the SOP after thoroughly reviewing all technical and safety aspects of heli operations. The committee will ensure that the operation of heli services is completely safe, transparent, and as per the prescribed standards, an official statement said. Heli operations on the Yatra route have been suspended for two days, Dhami said. "Operations will resume only after the safety of all passengers is ensured. The safety of the Yatris cannot be compromised," he said. Dhami also said that weather status should be checked before heli operations. The chief minister has directed a committee constituted to investigate helicopter accidents to thoroughly probe every aspect of Sunday's crash and earlier accidents and submit a report.
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Uttarakhand Congress accuses BJP of using Indian Army for votes
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Congress has criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly using the Army for political gain, after initially defending the Centre and the Army's actions in 'Operation Sindoor'. The party's shift in stance comes after a three-day silence on the matter. Reacting specifically to the BJP's announced 'Tiranga Yatra', explicitly being conducted under the name of 'Operation Sindoor', Suryakant Dhasmana, Senior Vice President of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, drew distinction with Congress' historical actions. He highlighted that the Congress party had previously conducted Tiranga Yatras across the country when the Army had actively engaged in fighting against enemies on and across the border. He stated that such yatras were aimed solely at boosting the morale of the soldiers and demonstrating full national support. "Lakhs of Congress workers fulfilled their national duty by holding such Tiranga Jai Hind Yatras in various parts of the country, including the state capital Dehradun," Dhasmana recalled, contrasting with the BJP's current initiative.
