Himachal, Haryana officers land in soup after copter ride

Geetanjali Gayatri & Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Shimla, June 17

Three IAS officers, one from Himachal Pradesh and two from Haryana, are in the soup over the use of a government chopper while on a trek from Chamba to Barot valley in Mandi district. 

The Himachal officer has been asked to “explain” his conduct for allegedly “manipulating facts”, but the matter seems a closed chapter in Haryana, which sent its helicopter for the “rescue” of the officers.

Hem Raj, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Chamba, and Haryana officers Dr Shalin, Director, Medical Education, and Nitish Yadav, ADC, Karnal, allegedly “manipulated facts” to get the state helicopter for evacuation from the remote Bada Bhangal area in Kangra. The officers denied the charge, claiming it was merely a case of “misrepresentation” of facts. 

Sources said a message was sent to the Baijnath SDM by the Up Pradhan of Bada Bhangal that a woman had been bitten by a snake and some officers too were stranded at Bada Bhangal. This was followed by another message from the Chamba ADC to the SDM, seeking a helicopter for evacuation.   

Dr Shalin said since messages were being sent at multiple levels, these may have been “misinterpreted", resulting in the impression that one of the officers on the trek had been bitten by a snake. He said that afflicted with altitude sickness, they had sought government help, which was provided.

“We had 15-kg backpacks and the sudden upscale caused breathlessness which could have resulted in an eventuality. We reached Bara Bhangal after navigating a highly risky landslide and another lay ahead of us.

Since we were unwell and carrying heavy backpacks, we sought government help and a chopper reached us in two days’ time,” he explained.

The demand for the chopper was conveyed to the DC, Chamba, who further  informed the Chief Secretary. As the chopper could not land at Bada Bhangal, that has a small helipad, the HP Government requested Haryana for its chopper, which was provided and arrangements made for the evacuation of the two Haryana officers and the snake-bite victim. The helicopter was to drop the latter at Gaggal (Kangra) and take the two officers to Pinjore. 

Even as an ambulance and a vehicle waited for the woman at Gaggal, the helicopter did not land there. When contacted, the pilot said only two persons (“Dr Shalin and his friend”) were on board and both had been dropped at Pinjore. Nishant Yadav and Hem Raj stayed back to complete the trek. 

Asked about the snake-bite victim, Dr Shalin said since it took two days for the government to arrange for the chopper, her health in the meantime had improved after local treatment. 

Taking serious note, HP Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhary has sought an “explanation” from the Chamba ADC, who proceeded on leave without waiting for the DC, already on leave, to return.  He has already sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, Kangra. 

Sources pointed out that the ADC had sent messages and called senior officers for help, but did not board the chopper. Chawdhary said they would write to the Haryana Government on the conduct of its two officers.

(With inputs from Lalit Mohan in Dharamsala)