‘Screening of passengers conducted before boarding Helicopters’
Bandipora: District administration Bandipora has airlifted about 450 passengers stranded in Bandipora and Gurez to their respective destinations in past three days.
Wire Service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), learnt that 246 passengers were airlifted from Bandipora to Dawar, Neeru and Baduaab while 204 passengers were airlifted from Gurez and Neeru and Baduaab to Bandipora.
The passengers were airlifted in 34 sorties of Army’s MI-17 Helicopter and Pawan Hans, Private Helicopter Service. Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza said preference was given to patients, paramedic staff, elderly people and students. He said in view of the COVID-19 special screening of passengers was conducted by Health officers before boarding the Helicopter at Sonerwani Helipad in Bandipora and Dawar, Neeru and Baduaab Helipads in Gurez Valley.
Gurez-Bandipora road is closed for traffic from past few months owing to heavy snowfall in Gurez valley and Razdan top. As per KNO, the district administration is regularly arranging air sorties to airlift the stranded passengers to and from Gurez.
DC Bandipora said more sorties will be arranged in coming days to airlift passengers subjected to weather conditions—(KNO)
