Soon, heli taxi to connect pilgrimage sites in Kangra

DHARAMSHALA: Soon, tourists may enjoy an aerial view of the majestic Dhauladhar range, if tourism players in the region have their way. The government is showing keen interest and a proposal is being made in this regard.
Kangra, Jawala Ji, Chintpurni, Naina Devi, Baijnath and Adi Himani Chamunda are expected to be connected. All these pilgrimages will be covered in one sortie.Urban development minister Sudhir Sharma said the proposal, hopefully, should not encounter any bottlenecks.
"One company is already operating heli taxi services in Kangra district and now the possibility of connecting the remaining pilgrimages has come to our knowledge. I think the proposal should not face an obstacle as it will boost tourism in the region," he said. The aviation company operating in the region also provides services at pilgrimages in Uttarakhand and J&K. Company authorities are optimistic about the scope of the service in Himachal. Jatinder Koul, chief coordinator of the aviation company said they would work out a route with maximum views of snow covered peaks, which would be a great experience for pilgrims coming here from across the world. "We are on the job to find places for helipad near pilgrimages. The possibility of cutting the time taken is also being worked out as passengers have to get back to base," he said.
Koul said aerial and road surveys need to be conducted, for which they will take a few more months. Surveys will begin after approval from the state government. Pilgrimages which are to be connected fall in a distance of around 800 KMs by road. It takes at least two days to visit all these places. But if the service is started, the route could be covered in a few hours.
At present, the Heli taxi is operating at Dadh in Kangra, from where it provides joy ride sorties to the Dhauladhar range and to the Adi Himani Chamunda temple.