PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) chief executive officer Prateek Jain said on Monday that preparations for the safe and smooth operation of the Char Dham helicopter service have been completed for the second phase of the pilgrimage.
Jain said that all necessary arrangements had been made for the helicopter services and measures prescribed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been complied with. He said that passenger safety and smooth air travel would remain the priority during the Yatra, with necessary arrangements put in place for the services. For Kedarnath Dham, online booking for 8,896 helicopter tickets for the period from September 15 to September 30 opened on September 7. Jain said that all 8,896 tickets had been booked.
Booking for 8,340 more tickets for the Kedarnath helicopter service from October 1 to October 15 will open on September 22. For Hemkund Sahib, online booking for 960 tickets for the September 15 to September 30 period opened on Monday. Booking for another 600 tickets for the October 1 to October 10 period will also open on September 22. He advised passengers to book helicopter tickets only through the authorised online portal, heliyatra.irctc.co.in.
He cautioned pilgrims against booking tickets through unauthorised persons, agents, fake websites or links and urged them to verify the booking platform before making payments. Jain said that arrangements for the helicopter services are being monitored to ensure passenger convenience and safety while maintaining smooth operations during the pilgrimage season. He added that passengers should follow the prescribed travel and safety guidelines and rely only on official sources for ticket-related information.
