Helicopter carrying pilgrims develops snag, makes emergency landing in Kedarnath
Dehradun (PTI): A helicopter with seven people, including pilgrims, on board made an emergency landing in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath after developing a technical snag early on Friday.
The helicopter landed a few metres from the helipad at the Himalayan temple, an official said.
It was carrying seven people, including six pilgrims and the pilot. Everyone is safe, he said.
Rudraprayag District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar said the helicopter took off from the Sirsi helipad for Kedarnath early on Friday.
It developed a technical snag in its rear motor, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing a few metres from the helipad in Kedarnath, he said citing preliminary reports.
The pilot kept his cool and took a quick decision, averting a major mishap, Gaharwar said.
Everyone is safe and the pilgrims have even returned after having "darshan" at the temple, he added.
The incident occurred around 7 am and further investigations are underway, Gaharwar said.
A Leonardo A119 Koala helicopter owned by Kestrel Aviation, Callsign VT-CLR, lost control at about 0700h today morning as it approached the Kedarnath Helipad for landing in Uttarakhand.
— Ashok Bijalwan अशोक बिजल्वाण 🇮🇳 (@AshTheWiz) May 24, 2024
It was a miraculous escape for the crew and the six passengers onboard the helicopter.
The… pic.twitter.com/9oMEUhDtZY
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Karnataka: Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre unveils plan for scientific disposal of plastic bottles
Bengaluru: In a bid to address the mounting plastic waste problem, Eshwar B. Khandre, Minister for Forests, Ecology, and Environment, has directed the additional chief secretary of the department to formulate regulations that will require packaged water bottle manufacturers to take responsibility for the scientific disposal of plastic bottles.
As part of the proposed plan, Khandre has suggested introducing a minimum price for each water bottle, which would be refunded when the bottle is returned to any establishment selling packaged water, as reported by Deccan Herald on Monday.
Under this initiative, when a person buys a new water bottle, the minimum price for each returned bottle would be discounted from the bill for the new one.
The goal is to ensure that empty bottles are returned to the shops where they were purchased, preventing them from being discarded in public spaces or ending up in the environment. Under the plan, these establishments would then return the empty bottles to manufacturers, who would be responsible for the scientific disposal of the plastic.
Khandre emphasised that the proposed regulations are aimed at tackling plastic pollution more effectively. Although the central government has already banned the manufacture, storage, sale, and use of certain single-use plastics, and the state government has enacted similar regulations, plastic waste continues to be a significant environmental challenge.
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