Long wait for Killar helipad upgrade irks tribal residents

Balkrishan Prashar

Chamba, February 11

Wait for the upgrade of Killar helipad into a heliport continues for the residents of the mountainous but picturesque tribal valley of Pangi in the district.

Pangi subdivision, a landlocked plateau, is located at a distance of 177 km from the district headquarters here by summer route, 250 km from Kullu and 117 km from Kishtwar (J&K). Infrastructural development has taken a back seat in this far-flung area.

As per the 2011 census, the population of the Pangi valley is 18,868 which presently is estimated to be around 25,000. Besides, there is migratory population of workforce and tourists coming to the valley every summer.

The state government has executed an agreement with National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited for the construction of a 500 MW Duggar hydroelectric project in the valley.

Killar helipad is one of the oldest helipads of the Pangi valley. Commissioned in 1982, it has potential for upgradation into a heliport.

For the upgrade, necessary funds can be sought from the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs once the detailed estimate is prepared by the state government.

Pangwal Ekta Manch, Pangi, in a recent letter to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, mentioned that the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation had amended the National Civil Aviation Policy under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in 2017.

The manch chairman Trilok Thakur and co-chairman Bhagat Barotra have requested the Chief Minister to look into the matter for the upgradation of the Killar helipad into a heliport under the RCS, thereby enabling air travel to Pangi from the Kullu-Manali airport at Bhuntar and the Kangra airport at Gaggal.

Similar representation was also sent to the then state Chief Minister in December, 2021, but nothing was done, manch office-bearers lamented.