By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The team of paragliders from the Meghalaya Paragliding Association (MPA) who are in Uttarakhand to assist in the rescue mission is doing a yeoman service by providing the much needed assistance to thousands of pilgrims who are stranded in the rain ravaged State.
The team of Meghalaya Paragliding Association who are at the battle ground include Md Isack, head mechanic and David Nongrum from Nongrah besides Javed Hasan from Bangalore and two more pilots are on their way to join the team.
The service of Meghalaya Paragliders Association is being utilized to reach to those places inaccessible to helicopters where people are still battling for their lives.
Speaking to The Shillong Times from Uttarakhand, Meghalaya Paragliding Association president and team leader Nikolai Singh said that with their equipments they only search people and give them basic needs like water, food, first aids and blankets.
“When we find someone stranded we inform the ground crew with the GPS location of the people and we keep on helping them till the time ground crew reaches them,” Nikolai Singh said.
It may be mentioned that altogether there are more than fifty five helicopters from all over India and only one para-motor team from Meghalaya.
“Work is very risky here and we fly lower than the helicopters and all the rivers are big and rough with damaged landscapes, broken houses and bodies flowing in the river,” he added.
He also said that there may be more than two thousand people who are stranded in different pockets of flood hit Uttarakhand.
The MPA has also requested all para-motor pilots to come out and extend their assistance in times of need in the hilly State.