Kedarnath pilgrims to shell out more for chopper rides

DEHRADUN: Pilgrims desirous of flying to Kedarnath in a chopper from the few designated spots near the shrine town might have to shell out more in the peak season, as the upper limit for heli services fare in the region has been set to Rs 9000 from the earlier limit of Rs 7500 but the chopper ticket fare prices can vary from peak season to lean season.This has been done in a bid to create a cross-subsidy such that heli-services across the state under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) can be made affordable to the masses in the state.
It is learnt that there are over 50 helipads spread across the state and soon enough- beginning this week, chopper rides will be connecting many of the far-flung areas under the RCS scheme which aims at creating cheap air travel in the state a possibility.
Secretary Civil Aviation, R Meenakshi Sundaram told TOI,"We cannot fix the chopper fares, all that has been hiked is the upper limit for flying service in the Kedarnath region which should not be exceeded even in the peak season. Our aim is to ensure that in lieu of this, we offer cheap air travel connectivity for the citizens of the Uttarakhand state in the immediate future."
Adding to which, Sundaram said, "Once this streamlines, Dehradun to Almora chopper ride will be about Rs 3000 while Dehradun to Pithoragarh will be about Rs 4000 and all this will be at a highly subsidized rate for the local residents of the state. One needs to support the operator to provide such kind of a subsidy to make cheap air travel a possibility in the state."