‘Tech issues’ delay heli ops to Kedarnath

Dehradun: Helicopter services to Kedarnath were delayed on Wednesday due to “technical issues” at the shrine’s helipad, leaving hundreds of miffed pilgrims stranded at Sirsi, Phata and Guptkashi.The services were scheduled to begin at 6 am, coinciding with the opening day of the Kedarnath temple. Pilgrims reached the helipads early in the morning, only to be informed that operations had not commenced. Bookings for the 6 am–9 am and 9 am–12 noon slots were subsequently cancelled and refunded, adding to the inconvenience.“The mandatory markings on the helipad could not be completed earlier due to heavy snowfall last week.

Once the markings were done, helicopter services resumed around 1:30 pm,” an aviation company operator said.Rewant Mishra, a 48-year-old advocate from Kanpur who had travelled nearly 750 km with his friends Amit Srivastava from Fatehpur and Peeyush Tripathi to reach Phata a day earlier, said they had booked a 6 am slot for the Kedarnath shuttle.“We understand weather-related disruptions in the mountains, but if the helipad was not ready, tickets should not have been sold in advance,” Mishra said, calling it “gross negligence” on the part of authorities.

Mishra also raised concerns over additional costs incurred by passengers. “While the ticket amount was refunded, the convenience fee of ₹1,062 was non-refundable. There were many elderly pilgrims waiting helplessly. The situation could have been handled in a better way,” he said.Helicopter operations resumed later in the afternoon, but passengers affected by the morning cancellations were left scrambling for alternatives, highlighting gaps in coordination and preparedness at the start of the pilgrimage season.