Supreme Court issues notices over repeated helicopter accidents on Char Dham Yatra routes, including Kedarnath. Petition cites five crashes since April, raising urgent safety concerns.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday, August 14, asked the Central Government and other authorities to give their reply to a petition raising serious concerns over repeated helicopter accidents, especially near Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta has sent notices to the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Uttarakhand Government, among others.
The petitioners’ lawyer told the court that there have been
“a series of helicopter crashes that have taken place, particularly towards Kedarnath”
in recent months.
The court has decided to take up the matter again after four weeks.
The petition highlights the growing safety concerns in the region. On June 15, a helicopter carrying pilgrims from Kedarnath shrine crashed in the forests of Gaurikund due to “poor visibility”, killing all seven people on board.
This was the fifth helicopter accident on the Char Dham Yatra route since the pilgrimage began on April 30. Among the seven who died were a two-year-old child and the pilot. The helicopter was operated by a private company.
After this tragic crash, the Civil Aviation Ministry announced that it
“has suspended the operations of the firm for the Char Dham Yatra and has directed the DGCA to immediately post officers from airworthiness, safety and operations to actively oversee all helicopter activity in the Kedarnath valley.”
Just a week earlier, on June 7, another helicopter going to Kedarnath was forced to make an emergency landing on the road because of a “technical fault” soon after take-off. The pilot was injured, but all five devotees on board were rescued safely.
On May 12, a helicopter returning from Badrinath to Sersi, carrying pilgrims, had to make an emergency landing in a school playground in Ukhimath due to “poor visibility”. Thankfully, all passengers were safe.
Earlier, on May 8, a helicopter heading to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district, killing six people.
With multiple accidents in such a short period, the Supreme Court’s intervention could lead to stricter safety checks and tighter regulation of helicopter operations in the Char Dham Yatra region. The matter is now set for further hearing after four weeks.
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