A day after suspending helicopter services to Kedarnath following a crash involving a chopper carrying devotees, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) said the services will resume from Tuesday, 17 June, ANI reported.
The UCADA made the announcement in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Earlier on Sunday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told ANI that the helicopter service would not run for the next two days.
Citing Sunday’s helicopter crash, which claimed seven lives, including that of an infant, Dhami told ANI, “Helicopter services will not run today or tomorrow. These services will remain closed until the safety of the passengers is ensured.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Sunday announced that, as a precautionary measure, the frequencies of helicopter operations to Char Dham will be reduced.
Meanwhile, CM Dhami directed the aviation companies to strictly comply with safety norms issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and warned of strict action against those who flouted those rules.
“An emergency meeting has been called immediately, in which instructions have been given that the rules of our DGCA should not be violated,” he said.
He added that pilots flying in the upper Himalayan areas should have experience in the region and urged aviation companies to ensure this.
Kedarnath helicopter crash:
On Sunday, seven people, including the pilot on board a helicopter, were killed after the chopper crashed near the forested area of Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district.
The Aryan Aviation Helicopter was flying to Guptkashi from the Kedarnath Dham when it crashed at 5:30 am.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan (39); Vikram Rawat (47); Vinod Devi (66); Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee representative Trishti Singh (19); Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41), his wife Shraddha Jaiswal and Daughter Kashi Jaiswal (2);
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the crash.
