Kedarnath chopper service a big hit among pilgrims

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 16

Helicopters services in the Kedar valley are proving to be a big hit for well-off pilgrims. The service not only helps them avoid arduous trekking but also saves them precious time. Chopper services are already all booked till May 20 in the region.

Chopper services from Guptkashi till Kedarnath have been there for some years now. These choppers fly from three locations in Guptkashi — Narayan Koti, Sirsi and Phata — and reach Kedarnath and vice versa. The popularity of the heli services can be gauged from the fact that there is a mad scramble among pilgrims to avail the chopper service to reach Kedarnath.

Apart from saving time and hard physical activity involved in trekking, a ride in chopper helps tourists get a bird’s-eye view of the Kedar valley. A large number of pilgrims, particularly from southern states and western states of Gujarat, prefer taking to chopper services. 

The Divyadham chopper service that operates from the Narayan Koti helipad has put up a notice seeking excuse from pilgrims uptil May 20 due to all packed bookings. Same is the case with other aviation companies that are all booked by May end.

Indo copter aviation pvt limited manager Madan Mohan said most bookings were done online while some book at the very helipad office at Guptkashi. He said helicopter services are quite popular with pilgrims.

“There is a lot of pressure on us at the ticketing counters as a large number of pilgrims are pouring and it becomes extremely difficult for us to accommodate all of them,” Madan Mohan pointed out. Long queues can be seen outside the office of aviation companies as pilgrims can be seen arguing with officials of aviation companies for ensuring themselves a seat in a chopper.

But the weather is ultimately the deciding force. The weather in the Kedar valley is already very unpredictable, particularly in the later half of the day, thus the scheduled shuttling operations for that day have to be deferred for the next day, creating a big backlog. This further compounds the problem. 

Capt Randhir Singh, who flies a chopper for Indo Copter aviation pvt limited, points out that weather conditions are key to flying of choppers and the flight has to be postponed in inclement weather conditions.

“Then all the chopper companies working in the Kedar valley use Bell helicopters that have seating capacities ranging from five to seven persons and these services have their limits. Under such circumstances, the rush is bound to increase,” observes Bharat Bhai Jhotania, who heads a batch of 10 pilgrims from Vadodara in Gujarat.