Dehradun: Congress delegation led by Uttarakhand Congress President Karan Mahara on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan regarding helicopter accidents. In which mainly the demand for strict compliance of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air Traffic Control (ATC) rules has been raised.
Expressing concern over the frequent helicopter accidents in Chardham Yatra, Karan Mahara said that five helicopter accidents have occurred in the last one and a quarter months in the state’s most prestigious Chardham Yatra. 13 people have also died prematurely in these accidents. Karan Mahara said that the deaths are a matter of serious concern. These accidents are happening due to the lack of transparency and security in the aviation policy in the state.
The Congress State President said that there are no clear standards set for helicopter operations in the state. The rules of ATC and DGCA are not being followed. How many flights are to be made? How many landings are to be made? And how many hours can a helicopter fly? There is no account of this.
He also raised the question whether the helicopters flying in the Chardham Yatra are third hand or fourth hand? This is also not known. The helicopters demanding maintenance are flying recklessly and are becoming the main cause of accidents. Environmental concerns have also increased in Uttarakhand due to the continuous flights of helicopters. The state’s national parks, wildlife and glaciers are all being threatened. He has raised the demand for making a transparent aviation policy and strictly following it.
During this time, Mahara has also expressed concern over the increasing road accidents in the state. He has raised the demand for making hill driving license mandatory for drivers of four-wheelers in the mountains. He says that there is a ban on new taxi permits in Nainital. But taxis from other states of the country have been allowed to run in the entire mountains including Nainital. Which needs to be stopped.
