Post the Lok Shabha elections, chopper services are starting operations to Kedarnath and other religious shrines in Uttarakhand.
Prabhatam, a private airline, has started its daily service to Kedarnath shrine, perched at an altitude of 3,581 metre in the hilly district of Rudraprayag. The company is operating six-seater Bell 407 helicopters to Kedarnath from Fata area of the district, Prabhatam vice-president P K Chhabri told Business Standard.
Government-owned Pawan Hans is also expected to start its service in the next few days to Kedarnath from Fata. The company is also planning to start special charted flights to Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines from the Sahasatradhara helipad in Dehra Dun next week.
Civil Aviation principal secretary PC Sharma said the helicopter services to Hemkund in Chamoli district would also begin when the shrine reopens next month. The chopper service to Hemkund, a famous Sikh shrine, would start from Govindghat of Chamoli district.
The government is in talks with both Pawan Hans and other private airlines in this regard.
The pilgrimage to Kedarnath has been hampered after hundreds of horses and mules developed a mysterious disease last week. Pilgrims are now finding it tough to reach the arduous shrine on feet after the Rudraprayag district administration withdrew all the mules and horses from the Kedarnath route.
“We believe the rush will be heavy this time for chopper services after the yatra on the Kedarnath trek was halted,” a Rudraprayag district official said.
This time also, the two helicopter operators are expected stop operations during the monsoon season. Last year too, the two services were withdrawn during that period.
After remaining closed during the winter period, all the four Chardham shrines – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand — reopened a fortnight ago. However, the chopper services could not resume due to the busy schedule with top politicians, who made their extensive use during the electioneering.
