Chopper services from Delhi to Vrindavan began November 11

Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL), the state-owned helicopter service has now launched regular chopper flights between Delhi and the holy city of Vrindavan. Associated with the childhood of Lord Krishna, Vrindavan is thronged by devotees of Krishna who come to offer prayers at the many temples of the city.

In the last few months, plans and preparation had been afoot, with surveys and feasibility studies being conducted for the service and an initial statement about the proposal was made in May. The announcement was finally made on November 8, by the District Magistrate of Mathura, Samir Verma. “All necessary arrangements have been made. The service will start from November 11, 2012,” Verma told reporters.

“Those who can afford and are under pressure for time will find the service very useful. I see a great potential as the number of visitors to the holy town is increasing every year,” Mr Verma added. For Vrindavan, the helicopter will land at the helipad which has been developed at Panigram by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam at the cost of Rs. 15 lakh.

Trials for the service have already been conducted by PHHL and all issues have already been resolved. The company already operates helicopter flights to the pilgrimage centres of Vaishno Devi and Kedarnath, and the fares for the Delhi-Vrindavan trip are expected to be in concordance with those charged for the earlier services. The service might be extended to include air ambulance services, allowing critically ill patients to be transferred quickly to multi-specialty hospitals in and around Delhi.