To facilitate the immediate evacuations during emergencies, the government is looking at having helipads along new highways.
As per the Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the ministries of civil aviation and road transport have discussed the proposal.
Responsible for the formulation of national policies and programmes for the development and regulation of civil aviation, The Ministry of Civil Aviation in India is the nodal ministry which devises and implements schemes for the orderly growth and expansion of civil air transport in the country.
Helipads Along New Highways
He said that the ministry is pushing for increasing the use of helicopters to enhance the connectivity, especially in remote and hilly areas. He said that “All the new highways should have helipads… along them so that infrastructure is in place”.
He said that the helipads along the national highways will help in immediate evacuations during emergencies.
Both Scindia and the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen (Retd) V K Singh pitched for having helipads in every district.
Speaking at the Civil Aviation Ministers’ Conference in the national capital, they announced this.
Project Sanjeevani
A Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) pilot called ‘Project Sanjeevani’ is also in incubation as per the government, where the helicopter will be deployed in the next few weeks to provide emergency medical services at AIIMS Rishikesh.
The helicopter will be based at the hospital at 20-minute notice and will have a service cover to an area of 150 km radius. Currently, there are around 80 dedicated helicopter corridors.
The government had last year launched three special corridors in India, between Mumbai and Pune, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, and Shamshabad and Begumpet.
“The government is exploring avenues to increase intercity and intracity helicopter connectivity in India,” Scindia said.
Vman Aviation Services IFSC Pvt Ltd and Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) also signed a letter of Intent at the India-Heli Summit for HAL’s ten Light Utility Helicopters.
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