September 22 tragedy ‘erased’ from public memory
SHILLONG: Nine years ago on September 22, the Pawan Hans chopper carrying ten passengers including State legislators crashed at Kyrdemkulai, Ri Bhoi killing everybody on board.
With the passage of time, the September 2004 tragedy is almost erased from public memory and the once feared chopper service has resumed again.
Though there was an interruption in the chopper service due to the fear factor post-2004 crash, the State Government suspended the operations of Pawan Hans choppers only on April 30, 2011 after one of the former’s helicopter carrying the then Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu crashed killing the political leader.
Fifteen months after the incident, the Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited resumed its services in the State and this time the Chief Minister himself took the flight from Guwahati to the Indian Air Force Air Landing Ground at Upper Shillong along with officials of Pawan Hans.
The Shillong Times tried to find out the airworthiness of the present chopper which is very often used by Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma.
AGM (operations), Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC), Anthony Pariat said that there is no security apprehension while flying in these sorties. “These sorties now have more powerful engines and are the latest (sorties) of N Series,” he said.
It may be mentioned that the Pawan Hans is now operating a twin engine Dauphin aero special helicopter with trained and experienced crew.
Pariat informed that there is a heavy rush of passengers in these sorties and many a times people have to be turned down as all the seats are being booked.
According to Pariat, the MTC cannot open online booking due to this heavy rush of passengers. “Everyone is using the services including people from the Armed forces, tourists and regular passengers,” he said.
At the moment, two sorties take off from Shillong and two from Guwahati.
Fear, however, has not subsided from the minds of some Union Ministers who are still not willing to travel by choppers in the North East and instead prefer to travel by road despite its bad condition.