*DGCA report on chopper crash awaited despite Guv’s concern
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 2: The much-needed shifting of helipad from Katra town to unpopulated area identified along the Katra-Reasi National Highway doesn’t carry any importance for the State Government as no serious effort has been made to get the High Court’s interim order on land acquisition vacated during the past eight months. In view of the continuous non-seriousness of the concerned authorities, nobody knows whether this project will ever become reality.
The helipad at Serli near Katra town was constructed in 1998 exclusively for the VIP visits but from 2002 onwards helicopters are being operated from this helipad to Sanji Chat on commercial basis for the convenience of the pilgrims visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. With the rise in the number of pilgrims, the number of sorties of helicopters also increased considerably and the resultant level of noise pollution.
Keeping the alarming noise pollution in mind, the people of several parts of Katra town started raising the demand for shifting of helipad from Serli to any other alternate site. This demand was also endorsed by a committee of State Legislature in the year 2013 and thereafter adequate chunk of land in Hatt Panchayat along Katra-Reasi National Highway was identified and the same was even approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
However, the process of acquisition of land and handing it over to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has not concluded till date despite lapse of more than three years and repeated concern from the Governor N N Vohra, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
Nearly one year back the land acquisition was going on smoothly but on the instigation of certain influential persons some people of village Hutt filed a writ petition in the State High Court challenging the Notification No. COL/ LA/ ACR/ Reasi/ 14/206-209 dated October 11, 2014 under State Land Acquisition Act.
On March 3, 2016, the State High Court issued notice to State through Secretary to Government, Revenue Department, Financial Commissioner Revenue, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Deputy Commissioner (District Collector) Reasi, Collector Land Acquisition (Assistant Commissioner Revenue), Reasi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
The High Court even directed that till next date before the bench, final award pursuant to the Notification dated October 11, 2014 issued by Collector Land Acquisition (Assistant Commissioner Revenue) Reasi shall not be issued. However, it was made clear that this order shall cease to operate unless extended. Accordingly, the High Court ordered listing of writ petition in the week commencing March 14, 2016.
Astonishingly, the writ petition has not been listed till date despite lapse of eight months mainly because of non-seriousness on the part of Reasi district administration as well as concerned Law Officers, who should have moved an application for early listing of the writ petition so that view-point of the respondents was placed before the High Court to get the interim order vacated, sources regretted.
“This clearly indicates that the shifting of helipad from Katra town to unpopulated area in Hatt panchayat along Katra-Reasi National Highway doesn’t carry any importance for the State Government and its concerned functionaries”, sources said.
Pointing towards the contents of the High Court’s interim order dated March 3, 2016, sources said, “the Reasi district administration could have started land acquisition as it was specifically mentioned by the High Court that order shall cease to operate unless extended and its applicability was up to only the date of listing of writ petition—March 14, 2016”, adding “but this option has not been exercised by the Reasi district administration till date”.
Keeping in view the failure of the administration to get the interim order vacated nobody knows whether shifting of helipad from Serli to Hatt Panchayat will ever become reality, sources remarked.
Meanwhile, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has yet not received the report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation into the tragic helicopter crash which took place at the base camp of shrine on November 23, 2015.
“Though Raj Bhawan has dashed communication and reminders to the DGCA on the directions of Governor N N Vohra but the DGCA has yet not submitted the report on the unfounded ground that its report will be first tabled in the Parliament before being made public”, sources informed.
Stating that DGCA has the habit of submitting reports after inordinate delay, sources disclosed that Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has received the report of crash which took place more than three years back in the recent past. “What purpose the delayed reports will serve remains a million dollar question”, sources said.
Pointing towards yesterday’s incident at Serli helipad where pilgrims had a close shave following development of technical snag in a helicopter, sources said, “nobody knows when the DGCA will submit report about this happening also”.
However, as a precautionary measure the Shrine Board has prevented Global Vectra Private Limited from operating the flying machine which had developed snag and even restricted the company from utilizing the services of Pilot for operating any other helicopter till further orders.
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