Rudraprayag (PTI): A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials said.
However, all pilgrims on board and the pilot are safe, the officials said.
The helicopter had taken off from Badasu base for Kedarnath when it made the emergency landing shortly after take-off on the main road just below the highway near Sirsi following a technical snag during take-off, they said.
Videos on social media showed the Kestrel Aviation helicopter standing in the middle of the highway, dangerously close to populated buildings with a parked car damaged by its tail rotor.
Six people on board the helicopter including the pilot had a narrow escape.
The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital.
People on the ground got scared as they saw the helicopter getting imbalanced in the air and crashlanding on the road, eyewitnesses said.
Kedarnath heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey said the incident had not affected the heli shuttle service to the Himalayan temple.
Efforts are underway to remove the helicopter from the highway.
Police have issued an appeal to pilgrims going to Kedarnath by road to stay wherever they are as removing the helicopter from the highway and unblocking it could take some time.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Kestrel Aviation's AW119 (Reg. VT-RNK) helicopter, piloted by Capt R P S Sodhi, experienced a hard landing on the road adjacent to the Barasu helipad.
According to initial inputs, shortly after takeoff from the helipad, the pilot reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. In response, he executed a controlled force landing on the road near the helipad.
All passengers are safe and unharmed, it said.
The pilot has been taken to hospital for evaluation due to complaints of backache.
The helicopter took off at 12.52 pm from Badasu (Sersi) helipad and landed immediately on the main road just below the helipad.
A team is being sent to the spot for onsite assessment, the DGCA said.
The hard landing of the helicopter on Saturday comes just about a month after another private helicopter on its way to Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on May 8, killing six people including five women and the pilot and leaving one male passenger seriously injured.
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Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.