New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh each on five helicopter operators ferrying pilgrims to Kedarnath shrine over irregularities in flying records, officials said.
DGCA also suspended officials of two other operators for three months over violation of safety regulations, they added.
The irregularities and violations came to light during an audit conducted in June, days after a chopper ferrying pilgrims to the high-altitude shrine made a hard landing on May 30. “The director general of DGCA formed a team for spot check of the choppers involved in shuttle operations in Kedarnath,” an official in Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) said. “On June 7 and 8, the team conducted a spot check in which serious violations came to light, prompting it to hold a detailed audit of all operators undertaking the shuttle operations,” the official added.
