The Uttarakhand Government on Tuesday lifted the suspension on the helicopter services on the Char Dham route, which was imposed after a fatal crash on June 15 that claimed the lives of all 7 onboard, including the pilot.
The services will now resume at the Char Dham route. The crash that took place on Sunday on the Kedarnath route was the fifth incident on the Char Dham route in the last six weeks.
In the said period, three helicopters made emergency landings while on service on the route, while one tragic incident of a crash led to six fatalities.
CEO of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, Sonika, said that the helicopter services have been resumed, and the tourists have been advised to plan their journey accordingly.
She added that flying in the region has not resumed but will resume once the weather improves. “Heli operations have resumed today. As the weather is not favourable currently, flying has not resumed yet. But as soon as we get clear weather, flying will resume”, Sonika told news agency ANI.
On Sunday, a chopper took off from Kedarnath for Guptkashi but crashed near a forest area of Rudraprayag’s Gaurikund. The chopper belonged to Aryan Aviation, which was banned from operating on the Char Dham route.
The deceased were identified as Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan (39), resident of Jaipur, Vikram Rawat (47) a Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee representative and resident of Rasi, Vinod Devi (66), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Trishti Singh (19), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41), resident of Gujarat, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal and Kashi (2), resident of Maharashtra.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami held a virtual meeting with senior officials after the crash and ordered a thorough probe. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the crash.