44 Sorties in a day by Sikkim Pawan Hans Relief and Rescue Operation

Gangtok, Oct. 4: The Pawan Hans helicopter had drawn a lot of flak earlier this year after the death of Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu in an air crash, leading to the suspension of services for some time in the Northeast. Five months since, there has been a turnaround and Pawan Hans has proved its mettle: evacuating stranded civilians in quake-hit Sikkim. Since September 20, two days after the quake, Pawan Hans helicopters had been making regular sorties to Mangan, Chungthang, Lachen, Lachung and Sakyong — all in worst-hit North Sikkim. The helicopter service comes under the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC), owned by the state government. Pawan Hans were the only civilian helicopters tasked with aerial relief operations alongside the dozen army choppers. In normal times, Pawan Hans operates from the helipad at Burtuk in Gangtok. Its service is between the Sikkim capital and Bagdogra airport in Siliguri, besides being used for sightseeing. Only one five-seater chopper is available daily. But barring a day or two since September 20 when inclement weather did not permit flying, two Pawan Hans choppers conducted 512 sorties till yesterday. “They evacuated more than 950 civilians from the quake-affected areas to Mangan and Gangtok, said K.S. Manilal, the deputy general manager who is in charge of Pawan Hans Helicopters’ Northeast region. Around 98 tonnes of relief material were dropped in the affected areas till yesterday. Initially, one stationed Pawan Hans chopper had been pressed for relief and rescue operations. On September 22 onwards, one more was brought from Guwahati for the operation in Sikkim, said Manilal. A third Pawan Hans chopper was also brought on October 1 to provide a back-up in case any of the two existing choppers had to be grounded for maintenance. “These three choppers till yesterday have been in air for around 120 hours,” said Manilal. Relief and equipment provided by the state government or collected by the voluntary organisations are being ferried in Pawan Hans choppers from Burtuk helipad to North district. Government officials and engineers too are using Pawan Hans for air drops in quake-hit areas. “We are working within the limits of the rules and regulations while trying our best to extend relief and rescue services to the people of Sikkim. The Pawan Hans helicopters have been doing such service for many years in different parts of the country especially in the Northeast. We are a professional body and have vast experience in this field,” said Satnam Singh, deputy manager (maintenance) of Pawan Hans, who had arrived from New Delhi. For the six pilots, the task was challenging, given the increased intensity of sorties in unpredictable weather in the high altitude areas of Lachen (9,400ft) and Lachung (8,610ft) and army relief choppers claiming the same airspace. “There is no fixed weather, it changed every 10 minutes. There used to be nearly 16 choppers flying at a time in those areas and we had to coordinate very carefully while landing,” said Captain Srinivas Rao, one of the pilots. The payload for the civilian chopper varied depending on the altitude of the location it was supposed to land in. For Chungthang and Mangan, it was around 400kg while for Lachen and Lachung — located higher up — it was 300-350kg, said the pilot. Captain Rao’s was the first of the 14 sorties that reached Mangan and Chungthang on September 20 with relief and returned with injured persons. “I could see anxious people on the ground at Chungthang. They made a rush to board the chopper, scared that it would not return if the weather turned bad. The danger in this situation is that someone could get hit by the tail blade of the chopper or obstruct our landing,” he said. Captain P.J. Singh, who had just returned to Burtuk today from North Sikkim, said: “While flying in high-altitude areas we had to be very alert. The density of air decreases as we climb higher and there is more requirement for power. The effectiveness of rotor blades is also affected and the aircraft blade’s reactions are slow. Initially there used to be a rush among the people to board the helicopter but now the situation is becoming more normal,” he said. The other pilots who were engaged in the relief operations were Brigadier (retd) P.S. Sahi, Col (retd) Arun Opal, Wing Commander (retd) George Kuruvilla and Captain Ranbir Ray. Dukla Palden Lachenpa and his six-year-old daughter today got a lift in a Pawan Hans to their village in Lachen. “I had come walking to Mangan from Lachen and then took a ride to Gangtok a few days after the earthquake to see my child who studies here. My wife is there in Lachen and she was worried. I am taking my child back there,” he said. Another Lachen resident, Niki Lachengpa also boarded the Pawan Hans with her 10-year-old son who studies in Gangtok. She had been waiting for her turn to go home to her village in Lachen since early morning. Tejpal Pradhan, the operations manager of the Burtuk helipad, said a 10-member team of STDC gets down to work every morning at 7 for the relief operations. “We work till late in the afternoon after which we submit our report to the government and delegate duties for the next day,” he said.

PHOTOS: Sikkim Rescue Operations by Indian Army

The clear skies on bright and sunny tuesday saw Army resume helicopter sorties between North Sikkim and Gangtok,Bagdogra. The Army also plans to use Pakyong Airport for bigger and heavier helicopter operations.The Indian Army has won hearts of people across Sikkim for its sheer dedication and determination to reach out and help in every way possible to Quake hit victims .

Helicopter sorties with relief to earthquake-affected areas due to incessant rain

Gangtok: Helicopter sorties with relief to earthquake-affected areas which resumed Sunday after a two-day gap were again suspended due to incessant rain on Monday.

A senior Army official said that nine Army helicopters were engaged yesterday in the relief operation dropping ration and evacuating stranded people from different parts of North Sikkim. He said that on the state’s request, the Army has released 3,000 litres of kerosene to Chungthang and 2,000 litres of kerosene to Lachung.

The Army has also opened seven relief camps at Chungthang where most people living in villages surrounding the sub-divisional town have arrived. Prem Subba, who came down from Thangu, which is beyond Lachen, said most of the residents have abandoned their houses fearing they might crumble anytime after suffering structural damage in the earthquake.

Sonam, also from Thangu, said most people were sleeping in tents at the camps.

Meena Rai and her entire family of five are also residing in the relief camp opened at the Gurudwara having come down from a nearby village.

Chungthang has also experienced a large influx of labourers who are not just employed with the hydel project here, but also those from road and other construction projects further north.

They have been trekking down to Chungthang for the last couple of days and are awaiting helicopter evacuation. Despite many labourers having been evacuated, there are still around 400 of them stranded there, still desperately trying to get a ride back home in one of the choppers.

There has been a mass exodus of labourers also from places above Chungthang, as far north as Dombang where a road construction company is engaged in the construction of a road from Dombang to Gora La.

Balwant Rai and Sushil Singh, both from Benaras, said that the military and labour camp up there had been totally destroyed. However, 200-odd labourers survived and managed to escape and take a three-day trek down to Chungthang. In many ways the Ground Zero of the devastating earthquake, Chungthang is by far the worst affected town which has suffered a trail of devastation and destruction left by the earthquakes.

As many as 13 deaths have taken place there alone, many are missing and almost all houses and structures have been damaged. With most structures rendered unsafe and residents still insecure about returning to even houses which have suffered only minor damage, most are still sleeping in the camps and open spaces, a week since the calamity.

The Chungthang SDM office has conducted a preliminary investigation of the damages in and around Chungthang though there has not been enough time for a detailed examination yet.

The preliminary report suggests that 90 houses in Chungthang have been totally damaged. The town has about 120 households. Of the 90 totally damaged houses, 25 are stated to be uninhabitable.

Though there is death and destruction everywhere, the sub-divisional office is functioning thanks to 12 sets of WLL phones and one satellite phone provided by the BSNL.

BDO Samdup Bhutia said, “our priority was to evacuate the injured and tourists followed by women and children and finally the elderly.”

A total of seven relief camps have been set up here by the administration which are managed with the help of local people.

A task force has also been set up comprising local panchayat members, district officials, officials from private companies, local people, the Army as well as other agencies aiding the relief and rehabilitation efforts

GANGTOK-BAGDOGRA HELICOPTER SERVICES RESUMED

Gangtok,June21: The Operation Manager of Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) and base operation manager of Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited informed that Pawan Hans Helicopter operation to Gangtok-Bagdogra has resumed in Sikkim .The clearance from DGCA has been obtained .The first shuttle Service to Bagdogra took today from Gangtok.It was first flight in last 50 days after Arunachal CM's crash- incident. It has been further informed that they had also discussed maintenance of Helicopter in every 100 hours of flying. The helicopter is maintained as per the maintenance programme recommended by its manufacturer and approved by regulatory authority. All maintenance checks like daily inspection, 50 hours inspection and 100 hours inspection were carried out as per the stipulated programme by trained and qualified engineer, it is informed.

The Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited has been serving in Sikkim for more than 12 years and yet has not recorded any accident. The company has operated from nearly all existing helipads of Sikkim and has also touched virgin grounds. All these years company has done innumerous casualty and emergency evacuations and it has completed nearly 6000 hours of flying and carried nearly forty thousand passengers throughout these years.

The helicopter is fitted with latest emergency locator (ELT) operating on twin frequencies 243.0 MHZ and 406 MHZ .ELT transmits signal on heavy impact which can be picked by ISRO satellite and any over flying aircraft. This equipment is basically to locate helicopter incase of mishap.

Pawan Hans Helicopter service in Sikkim likely to be resumed soon

Gangtok: A meeting was held on 10th May at Helipad between Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited, Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation, Fire and Special branch regarding safety measures. In the meeting Operation Manager of Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) Tejpal Pradhan and base operation manager of Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited Subojit Roy participated.

Speaking to Media Mr. Pradhan informed that Pawan Hans Helicopter operation may be resumed within two days in Sikkim. In the meeting they discussed preventive and safety measures as few days back Pawan Hans helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh killing Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh. He further informed that during the meeting they had also discussed maintenance of Helicopter in every 100 hours of flying. The helicopter is maintained as per the maintenance programme recommended by its manufacturer and approved by regulatory authority. All maintenance checks like daily inspection, 50 hours inspection and 100 hours inspection were carried out as per the stipulated programme by trained and qualified engineer, it is informed.

The Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited has been serving in Sikkim for more than 12 years and yet has not recorded any accident. The company has operated from nearly all existing helipads of Sikkim and has also touched virgin grounds. All these years company has done innumerous casualty and emergency evacuations and it has completed nearly 6000 hours of flying and carried nearly forty thousand passengers throughout these years.

The helicopter is fitted with latest emergency locator (ELT) operating on twin frequencies 243.0 MHZ and 406 MHZ .ELT transmits signal on heavy impact which can be picked by ISRO satellite and any over flying aircraft. This equipment is basically to locate helicopter incase of mishap

Wreckage of Dhruv, bodies of 4 personnel found in North sikkim

GANGTOK: The wreckage of the Dhruv helicopter that went down in north Sikkim near the border with China on Thursday and the bodies of the four soldiers on board were found in the Shiv Mandir area on Friday.
Army helicopters located the wreckage at 9.30 a.m. and ground parties reached the spot an hour-and-a-half later, sources in the Eastern Army Command said. “Though it seems that the helicopter had crashed owing to the inclement weather, a court of inquiry has been ordered,” they said.

The helicopter, carrying two pilots of the rank of major and two technicians , took off on a routine training exercise, along with another Dhruv, from the Sewak road base in Siliguri at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday. It lost contact with the base around 11.30 a.m. while flying 15, 000 feet over Shiv Mandir, near Yumisamdong, a densely forested area covered with a thick blanket of snow. The spot is 15 km north of Lachung.

The army immediately launched a search, but postponed it till Friday morning owing to the inclement weather.

On April 19, a Russian-made Mi-17-2 helicopter, owned by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., crashed after it took off from Guwahati for Tawang, killing 17 persons. The indigenously developed Dhruv has been serving the Army and the Indian Air Force. — PTI

Army chopper goes missing in North Sikkim

North Sikkim, : An Indian Army helicopter ALS Dhurva went missing shortly after take-off in North Sikkim  near China border on Thursday morning around 11.30 with four people, including two pilots, on board.

A defence spokesperson said the four-seater helicopter took off from the army’s North district base in Sikkim, .“There were four people on board, two pilots and two army personnel. We do not have much details but the helicopter was on a training sortie,” army spokesperson said.

An army officer said: “All we can say at this point in time is that the helicopter has lost contact and we have since begun an aerial search, besides people on the ground have also been pressed into .

Heliports in Sikkim for Niche Tourism

Gangtok,October15: The Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism, Sujit Banerjee has issued a statement on the status of Tourism on the occasion of All India Editors’ Conference on Social Sector and Infrastructural Issues being held in Srinagar which was addressed by him. In his statement Mr. Banerjee has said that the Ministry is trying to promote Niche Tourism which includes Heliport Tourism. With a view to promote tourist destinations in hilly and remote areas of the country, the Ministry of Tourism has issued guidelines to extend financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for construction of heliports under the Scheme of Product/ Infrastructure Development for Destinations and Circuits. Two projects for construction of heliports at Mangan and Geetang Khola in Sikkim have been sanctioned under this new initiative of the Ministry of Tourism. Both the projects are likely to be completed within two years.

Guidelines for financial packages for tourism in Sikkim

New Delhi, September 12 : Tourism Minister Kumari Selja announced the guidelines that includes financial packages for states that intend to develop such projects.

For this, the ministry will provide central assistance of up to Rs.5 crore per destination to state governments.

The ministry added that it would extend financial assistance of up to Rs.75 lakh to state governments for construction of heliports.

The guidelines specify that the projects for construction of heliports will have to conform to the technical requirements laid down by the Director General of Civil Aviation.

Already, the ministry has approved two projects in Sikkim - Mangan and Geetang Khola.

Apart from providing central financial assistance for the heliport, the government will also give aid for developing the area as a tourist hub.

For development of Mangan Tourist Axis in north Sikkim, the tourism ministry will provide Rs.3.03 crore and for Geetang Khola waterfall in West Sikkim Rs.3.02 crore will be sanctioned, officials said.
As India is known for its wellness tourism, especially because of its traditional systems of medicine — ayurveda, yoga, Unani and Siddha — the ministry plans to promote this key area too.
For this, it has revised its earlier guidelines of marketing development assistance (MDA).
Under this scheme, the wellness centres accredited by states, and travel agents and tour operators will be qualified for financial assistance to participate in wellness tourism fairs abroad.

Heliport Tourism in Sikkim

Gangtok,September 09 :With a view to promote tourist destinations in hilly and remote areas of the country, the Ministry of Tourism has also issued guidelines to extend financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for construction of heliports under the Scheme of Product/ Infrastructure Development for Destinations and Circuits.

The projects for construction of heliports will have to conform to the technical requirements prescribed by the Director General of Civil Aviation. Financial assistance will be provided for construction of heliports as a component of destination development projects. The upper limit of financial assistance for heliports has been fixed at Rs. 75 lakhs.

Two projects for construction of heliports at Mangan and Geetang Khola in Sikkim have also been sanctioned under this new initiative of the Ministry of Tourism. Both the projects are likely to be completed within two years.

For the first time any where in the country, the State of Sikkim has been granted Central Financial Assistance for two destination projects that include development of Heliport viz. Destination Development of Mangan Tourist Axis including Heliport in North Sikkim for Rs. 3.29 crore and Destination Development of Geetang Khola waterfall including Heliport in West Sikkim for Rs. 3.25 crore. These would facilitate easy access to the destination mentioned above which are of immense tourism potential, where the tourists are otherwise discouraged due to long and taxing travel through hilly roads.

Ø Mangan Tourist Axis including Heliport in North Sikkim

The Mangan Tourist Axis offers multiple options for the visitors as it envelops many places that attract the interest of tourists, scholars and nature lovers. The lower altitude zone showcase the beautiful green countryside setting with River Teesta meandering between the mountains whereas the higher altitude takes one to the snowy peaks, vast glaciers and rugged hills. There are places still unexplored and amazing splendors outside the scale of human intervention that displays the true color of Mother Nature.

Ø Destination Development of Geetang Khola waterfall including Heliport in West Sikkim

Geetang Khola waterfall is located amidst the very serene environs with awe-inspiring natural beauty and razor-edged cliffs. The existence of a voluminous waterfall cascading down the mountain about 300 feet high makes this place more significant in term of tourist interest. A large numbers of tourists also visit this place to witness the variety of rhododendrons that blossoms during April to May. This is a stopover tourist spot for visitors to onward destinations like Soreng, Daramdin, Hilley and Barsey. The place Hilley where the Heliport has been proposed is the Base camp for Barsay Rhododendron Park, which is frequented by trekkers and nature lovers.

Swift Air Charters to operate chopper services in Sikkim

Delhi-based Swift Air Charters, chopper service division of Swift Travel International, recently won the tender floated by the Department of Tourism, Sikkim, to operate chopper services in the North East (NE) region of India. The company is keen on starting chopper services for corporate travellers and tourists soon,in order to overcome and improve connectivity challenges in the Sikkim & NE region.
Swift Air Charters currently operates five Robinson Jackson R-42 choppers in North India for corporate travellers and will buy five more R-42s by end of this financial year. Apart from expanding in the chopper market, Swift Air Charters is also planning to acquire or buy business jets by mid- 2010 to cater to the needs of corporate clients.

Talking about the potential of chopper services in India, Bharat Rai, Director, Swift Travel International said, “Not many airlines connect the NE region of India with other parts of India. A number of chopper companies have started servicing on this route. Due to huge demand for connectivity, there is still a vast gap to fill in. We are going to offer services for pilgrimage travel, tourism, corporate leasing and government sector leasing.” Considering the growth of Wildlife Tourism in India, the division is also planning to tie-up with inbound travel companies to offer wildlife safari packages in India.

Helicopter service for Sikkim tourist destinations

5 more helipads for the state

Gangtok, Aug 15 (PTI) With a view to cater to high-end tourists, Sikkim government has decided to launch commercial chopper services to five most frequented destinations in the state, a tourism official said today.

Helipads would be constructed at Rangpo, Mangan, Hiley, Uttarey and Chemchey to run commercial air services upto these destinations, Sikkim tourism secretary Bhaduria said.

The state has a limited air service between Gangtok and Bagdogra with the air carrier Pawan Hans operating its chopper on daily basis between three to six times, Bhaduria said.

The Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) has hired a five-seater Pawan Hans helicopter to provide air service between Gangtok and Bagdogra, the tourism secretary said

5 more helipads for the state

Gangtok,August 14: State Tourism Department has decided to construct five more helipads – one each at Rangpo, Mangan, Hiley, Uttarey and Chemchey. “Tourism in the sate is on the rise. With that in view and also for emergency services, the department wants to introduce chopper services”, Mr. S.B.S. Bhaduariya, secretary of the department said.
In the last months, June and July, when Gorkha Janamukti Morcha called Dareeling bandh, the Pawan Hans helicopter had provided alternative transportation to the state.
“In the month of June and July, the chopper flew average 50 hours each month and some times flew six times in a day from Gangtok to Bagdogra. So, we realized this chopper service will come in handy for us in emergency and tourism allied business”, Mr. Bhaduariya said.At present Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation has five seater Pawan Hans helicopter service and the flight charge from Gangtok to Bagdogra is Rs.2000. The secretary said the department has brought 11 seater Pawan Hans helicopter for the state on trial basis. The trial would be for a week. “If the trail succeeded, we will buy the chopper,” Mr. Bhaduariya said.

SIKKIM HELICOPTER MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AT MELLI GROUND

Football Match Played at Melli Ground disrupted by Chopper landing.

MELLI, August, 08: Due to bad weather conditions, the Pawan Hans helicopter plying from Bagdogra to Gangtok carrying two passengers was forced to land at the Melli Ground here yesterday right in the middle of a local football match.
A match of the 61st Independence Day Football tournament was being played in the ground when this incident happened. The footballers were taken completely by surprise when the chopper started to hover above the ground in a desperate attempt to land. The players had no choice but to run for cover.
This unexpected intrusion in the match caused much annoyance to the people, especially the organisers who had to call off the match for the day with the chopper sitting pretty in the middle of the field. The incident compelled the organising committee to pay compensation to the teams, putting the tournament in a financial tight spot.
Much to the annoyance of the local people, the pilot of the chopper apparently left without any information. 24 hours later, another pilot came from Delhi arrived at the scene and finally the chopper took off again.
When the SP, South was contacted by this reporter on this incident, it was made known that the pilot informed the Melli Police about the incident verbally, not in writing. The Police provided security around the clock to the stranded chopper and directed the SI Melli to record a General Diary entry.
The football tournament organising committee is contemplating asking the department operating the helicopter service for compensation for the financial loses they suffered o the disruption of the matches