Shimla heli-taxi service gets costlier
Shimla, July 8 : Barely a month after its launch, the heli-taxi fare between Shimla and Chandigarh has gone up by Rs 500, from Rs 2,999 to Rs 3,499, officials said on Sunday.
This is not all. There is a confusion over its landing site in the Himachal state capital.
Officials said the chopper is still landing at the airport at Jubbarhatti, 22 km from here, and not at the Annandale ground, the picturesque flat highland just 3 km from Shimla's Ridge, as announced by the government soon after the launch of its maiden flight on June 4.
"Seeing the poor response of the travellers, the government has announced that the chopper will land at the Annandale ground and not at the airport. That was an encouraging step to woo the tourists as it helps reducing the travel distance between the landing spot and the city," a travel agent told IANS.
"But the chopper is still landing at the Jubbarhatti airport and it's discouraging the tourists and even locals to travel by air. That is why almost 50 per cent of the seats in every flight have been remaining unsold since the launch of heli-taxi service," he said, adding "most of the tourists are preferring to travel by cab than heli-taxi".
Officials told IANS that for boarding the chopper at Shimla, one has to go to the Jubbarhatti airport, which is an hour-long travel from here
It lands and takes off from the Chandigarh International Airport, some 18 km from the city.
Seeing the poor response of the travelers, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, announced on June 18 the chopper would land at the Annandale ground but would take off from Jubbarhatti.
"We are still awaiting permission from the defence ministry. Owing to security reasons, it's reluctant to allow the civilian chopper to land at the Annandale ground," a senior official with the state Tourism and Civil Aviation Department told IANS.
A prime land surrounded by thick forests, the Annandale ground has been under the Army's control since World War II. The Army has allowed only the landing of the Chief Minister's chopper there.
The official admitted that the one-way airfare for the tri-weekly service was increased by Rs 500 from July 1 owing to high operational cost.
With the launch of the heli-taxi service on June 4, the travel time between Shimla and Chandigarh was reduced to just 20 minutes against four hours by road.
The Chief Minister has offered his official helicopter for the Shimla-Chandigarh route.
The state government in association with helicopter service operator Pawan Hans Ltd launched this service.
The helicopter takes off at the Jubbarhatti airport at 8 a.m. and reaches Chandigarh at 8.20 a.m. And from Chandigarh it takes off at 9 a.m. and reaches Shimla at 9.20 a.m.
The state is constructing a helipad at Sanjauli, just on the outskirts of Shimla. The Shimla-Chandigarh flight will be operated from Sanjauli after the new helipad becomes operational in four-five months, say officials.
The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp has started a shuttle bus service between Shimla and the airport for the heli-taxi passengers. The ticket is Rs 200 per seat.
The normal taxi fare between Shimla and its airport is between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500, which travel agents say is too high for a person who is travelling at an affordable air fare.
Known for its apples and picture-perfect tourist spots, Himachal Pradesh attracted 19.6 million tourists last year, 2.9 times of its population. It has 63 operational helipads across the state, as per the state's Economic Survey 2017-18.
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Delhi Police files 877-page chargesheet in Janakpuri pit death case
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has filed an 877-page chargesheet in the Janakpuri pit death case, naming three accused and detailing alleged lapses linked to the execution of a construction project, an official said on Thursday.
The chargesheet was submitted before a court on April 7, said police, adding that the case was registered on February 6.
According to a police statement, the accused are Himanshu Gupta (45), a suspended director of the main contractor company, KKSPUN Private Limited, Rajesh Kumar (47), a sub-contractor associated with the project and Yogesh (23), a labourer deployed at the site.
The accident took place on the night of February 5 when Kamal Dhyani, a resident of Kailashpuri, was returning home from his office in Rohini and fell into a 15-foot-deep pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board in the Janakpuri area.
A police officer said the deceased worked at a call centre for a private bank.
The chargesheet includes detailed findings on the role and responsibilities of the accused persons, contractual arrangements, and on-site conditions and coordinations at the time of the incident.
Police said the probe examined multiple aspects, including compliance with safety norms, labour deployment, and execution practices adopted during the course of the work.
Statements of witnesses, technical assessments, and documentary evidence form part of the voluminous chargesheet, the officer said.
Himanshu Gupta, as a senior functionary of the contracting firm, was alleged to be responsible for overall supervision and ensuring adherence to safety protocols, while Rajesh Kumar, the sub-contractor, allegedly handled execution at the ground level.
Yogesh, a worker engaged at the site, has also been named in the incident.
Officials said the investigation into the role of other suspected people is still underway, and a supplementary chargesheet will be filed upon completion of the probe. Further investigation is underway.
