Dehradun, 02 September (H.S.):

Helicopter services for pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath Dham during the second phase of the Char Dham Yatra will resume from September 15. The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) has stepped up preparations for the resumption of the service and is set to open the first ticket booking window on September 7.

According to UCADA, tickets for the second phase will be made available in a phased manner for 15-day periods to prevent ticket black-marketing and streamline the booking system. The authority has held the necessary meetings with helicopter operators and is also coordinating with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Meteorological Department.

UCADA said helicopter services would be operated strictly in accordance with weather conditions, safety standards and permissions granted by the DGCA. The authority has appealed to pilgrims to book tickets only through authorised channels.

Pilgrims have been advised to use heliyatra.irctc.co.in for the Kedarnath shuttle service and helitaxii.com for the Badrinath shuttle service. They have also been cautioned against purchasing tickets from unauthorised agents or intermediaries.

During the first phase of the Char Dham Yatra, helicopter services to Kedarnath were operated from helipads at Guptkashi, Phata and Sersi through eight helicopter operators. Around 67,000 pilgrims availed themselves of the helicopter service during this period.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar