Shraddha Jaiswal had a simple wish: to mark her 35th birthday with a pilgrimage to the sacred Char Dham in Uttarakhand. Along with her husband Rajkumar (41) and their two-year-old daughter Kashi, she boarded a helicopter to Kedarnath, seeking blessings in the high Himalayas. But the skies had other plans. The family never returned.

The helicopter carrying them crashed on Sunday, killing all seven on board. Back in Yavatmal (Maharashtra), their six-year-old son Vivaan, who had stayed behind with his grandparents, still believes his family will return, with birthday gifts in hand.

This heartbreaking incident is not an isolated one. It is the fifth helicopter-related mishap in Uttarakhand in just six weeks, igniting urgent questions about the safety and regulation of chopper services in the State’s high-altitude pilgrimage belt.

A disturbing pattern in the skies

Over the past decade, 16 helicopter accidents have been reported across India, according to data compiled by businessline. The majority of these incidents occurred in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, marking them the most accident-prone regions. Other States that feature on the list include Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. But the number of accidents in Uttarakhand is a cause for cocnern.

On May 8 this year, six people lost their lives when their helicopter went down in Uttarkashi. Four days later, a crash was narrowly averted in Badrinath. Then on May 17, an air ambulance from AIIMS Rishikesh crashed in Kedarnath, but miraculously, without casualties. On June 7, another chopper en route to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on a highway due to technical failure; the pilot sustained injuries.

 These successive incidents paint a grim picture. Over the last few decades, several helicopter crashes have been reported in Uttarakhand, raising concerns over a service that’s meant to ease access to sacred sites, not become a death route.

The business rush

According to industry insiders, helicopter services on the Char Dham circuit are broadly split into two categories: shuttle services and chartered flights. Around nine companies operate shuttle services, while 25–26 firms run charters. The seasonal business exceeds ₹1,000 crore, making it a lucrative, yet fiercely competitive sector.

“Everyone wants a slice of this pie,” said a former helicopter service operator. “But the competition is so intense that safety often takes a backseat. Corners are cut. Checks are skipped.”

One of the alarming practices, according to a local who worked as a volunteer at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), is incentivising pilots to complete more sorties in a day. “This is dangerous,” he warned. “It leads to fatigue, rushed decisions, and risky flights in unpredictable mountain weather. There’s also little oversight on the number of passengers or pricing. It’s the wild west up there.”

Experts raise red flags

Tourism expert in Dehradun, Amogh Panwar, noted that weather unpredictability in the Himalayas requires skilled judgment, a quality many hired pilots lack. “Too many don’t understand how fast things can change here,” he said. “Regulatory bodies need to crack down harder. Are all operators following the rules? Often, safety norms are just paperwork.”

While the Ministry of Civil Aviation has reiterated that safety is “non-negotiable,” critics argue that enforcement on the ground — or in the air — is lacking. The Ministry has instructed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to strictly monitor operations and enforce compliance with all weather and technical protocols.

Government steps in

In the wake of Sunday’s tragedy, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a temporary halt to all Char Dham helicopter services. He has demanded a high-level review involving all operators, along with verification of pilot experience in high-altitude flying. A strict new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is also in the works.

But for families like Shraddha’s, these steps come too late.

As Uttarakhand’s skies become more crowded each pilgrimage season, experts, authorities, and service providers must confront a pressing truth: without rigorous safety enforcement, the journey to the divine may continue to end in disaster.

Published on June 16, 2025