By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun 29 Jun: As the monsoon has arrived in in Uttarakhand, the Meteorological Department has alerted all the security agencies. The Meteorological Department says that this time the monsoon season can be heavier and longer than normal, and will require high alert of all the agencies involved in disaster management and mitigation. As per the State Weather Centre, excessive rains are expected this season. The forecast of the Meteorological Department definitely requires high alert for all the agencies involved in disaster management in the state.
Among the agencies that have been alerted is Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) which in turn is preparing to keep choppers ready for any emergency. To begin with heli services from Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun to Char Dham Shrines (Kedarnath and Badrinath) have been halted during the monsoon period.
It may be recalled that Uttarakhand is highly prone to disasters during the monsoon season. Due to lack of adequate resources to deal with them, many types of challenges remain still to be resolved. This time the government has decided to deploy three helicopters in case of disaster, so that relief and rescue work can be done on time. Currently in the state, along with the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, the Yatra to Hemkund Sahib is also underway though chopper services to Char Dham shrines gets affected due to bad weather during the monsoon.
Hill stations and tourist places of Uttarakhand are also bustling with tourists at present. While relief and rescue with a helicopter is challenging, many times the help of the Air Force has to be taken. In such a situation, for the first time, the government has deployed three helicopters for disaster relief and rescue operations in the monsoon season in the state. Along with this, SDRF and NDRF teams will also be present. UCADA CEO C Ravishankar has informed that the tender process is being completed for this. Two to three helicopters will be deployed within a week. Helicopters will be deployed in Dehradun of Garhwal division and Pithoragarh of Kumaon division in view of possible disaster. These will help in immediate relief and rescue operations. Along with this, a helicopter will also be deployed as an air ambulance in Rishikesh AIIMS.
