Uttarakhand High Court asks govt to clarify position on rising number of chopper crashes on Yatra route

Nainital: Taking suo motu cognisance of the chopper crash near Kedarnath which killed seven people on board on Sunday, the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday asked the state government to clarify its position on how safe it was for pilgrims to travel by helicopters deployed for Char Dham Yatra.

The division bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mehra of the high court also expressed concern over the rise in chopper crashes on the pilgrimage route, saying on May 8, another helicopter had crashed in Uttarkashi district claiming the lives of six people including the pilot.

Keeping in mind five helicopter crashes on the route in the past two months killing 13 people, the court asked the government to clarify its position and file a reply before the court.

Raising concern over the issue, the high court posed questions to the state government regarding the safety of pilgrims on the route.

The court asked whether the helicopters being used for the Yatra were operating according to schedule and whether the norms were being followed.

The court also said flying helicopters in bad weather conditions could be disastrous and the concerned officials should be asked to take every precaution keeping in mind the safety of the pilgrims.

Chief standing counsel Chandrashekar Rawat informed the court that the state government has put a stop to heli services as of now and is working towards providing better services and safety to the pilgrims in the future.