Pawan Hans to the rescue, like always

An employee of the General Mechanical Workers Company injured in the Friday landslide at the Teesta Stage III damsite at Chungthang being rushed to the waiting Pawan Hans helicopter at the Chungthang ground on Saturday. Two injured persons were air-lifted to Gangtok on Saturday. Unfortunately, one of them succumbed to his injuries later.

SUBSIDISED FLIGHTS FROM GANGTOK TO CHUNGTHANG, LACHEN AND LACHUNG AND BACK TO BEGIN THURSDAY

SAGAR CHHETRI

GANGTOK, 26 Sept: The Pawan Hans heliservice operated by the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation has proved an indispensible asset for Sikkim in times of emergencies. Its limited carrying capacity notwithstanding, when the roads snap and areas get cut off, the Pawan Hans Bell 407 helicopter invariably becomes the carrier to ferry rescue, relief and consolation. In the latest instance as well, the helicopter has been pressed into extensive service over the North Sikkim skies. Captains TS Kang and Pawan Siwach clocked in a staggering 4:50 hours of airtime on 25 September flying a total of 16 sorties between Gangtok, Mangan, Chungthang and Lachen.
The heliservice has been on relief and rescue detail in North Sikkim since 22 September, taking off from the Burtuk helicopter at 9 a.m. on Saturday and flying eight sorties up to Chungthang that day. The flurry of landslides which crashed at several places across North district began on Friday evening, it may be recalled. Between officials and injured persons ferried to and out of Chungthang that day, the helicopter also accommodated some 193 kilos of relief materials.
The chopper and the heliservice personnel have been keeping busy since then, even managing the scheduled flights to Bagdogra and back between its relief and rescue flights in the opposite direction. The pilots are managing sorties to North Sikkim before the scheduled flights to Bagdogra and then returning to carry on the North Sikkim mission.
The helicopter has been carrying locals, Army and GREF personnel and disaster management personnel of the State government apart from transporting medicines, ration, pipes, tarpaulin and other relief materials to the affected areas. It has also been lifting ration from Mangan to the affected areas.
It is informed that the Pawan Hans helicopter on 23 September flew 8 sorties and transported 29 people and air-lifted 254 kilos of relief materials. On 24 September, it flew 8 sorties of rescue operations again and transported 33 people, and reached 386 kgs of relief materials. Its busiest day was 25 September, when a total of 16 sorties were clocked, 59 people transported and 736 kgs of relief materials shipped.
Meanwhile, given the devastation suffered by the North Sikkim Highway, STDC has also announced subsidized flights from Gangtok to Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen from Thursday onwards for the convenience of the people in these cut off areas of North Sikkim.