New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought responses from the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Uttarakhand government on a petition highlighting repeated helicopter crashes in the Char Dham Yatra region.
A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta issued notices after hearing submissions from Advocate Shubham Awasthi, who along with other lawyers, urged the court to address systemic lapses in helicopter operations in mountainous terrain. The court has listed the matter for hearing in four weeks.
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Deadly June 15 Crash Sparks Action
The plea comes in the wake of multiple incidents this year, the most serious being on June 15, when a helicopter carrying pilgrims from Kedarnath shrine crashed into the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility. All seven on board, including a two-year-old child and the pilot, were killed. It was the fifth helicopter mishap since the Yatra began on April 30.
The civil aviation ministry subsequently suspended the operator’s services for the pilgrimage and directed the DGCA to station officers in Kedarnath valley to monitor safety and operations.
Other incidents cited in the petition include:
– June 7: Emergency landing of a Kedarnath-bound helicopter due to a technical fault, injuring the pilot.
– May 12: A helicopter from Badrinath to Sersi forced to land in a Ukhimath school ground amid poor visibility. All passengers were safe.
– May 8: A Gangotri-bound helicopter crashed in Uttarkashi, killing six.
Petitioner’s Concerns and Demands
The petition argued that helicopter operations in Uttarakhand lack adequate regulatory safeguards. Among its key demands are:
– Framing of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for mountain-specific flights.
– Disclosure of non-compliant operators and suspension of permits for violations.
– Public reporting of audit findings, weather logs, pilot re-certification, and payload data.
– Creation of central command-and-control centres for real-time flight tracking.
– Temporary ban on single-engine helicopters in high-altitude zones until stricter measures are enforced.
– Filing of quarterly compliance reports before the Supreme Court.
The plea also pressed for aligning Indian operations with international aviation standards under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Counsel’s Argument
Advocate Shubham Awasthi told the court that the series of mishaps revealed regulatory complacency. “The safety of pilgrims and citizens must come first. The Char Dham routes cannot continue to witness avoidable tragedies,” he said, underlining that the petition aimed at securing accountability and preventive measures.
Next Steps
The Supreme Court’s intervention is expected to trigger a broader review of helicopter safety in Uttarakhand and other high-altitude regions, where aerial services are vital for pilgrims but have increasingly raised concerns over oversight and risk.
