Helipad next to Village ready

Wednesday, Sep 15, 2010



Athletes, officials and security personnel can now escape Delhi's traffic and fly straight into the Games Village. The helipad next to the Akshardham temple is finally ready and is set for take-off even as the city's first heliport is nearing completion at Rohini.

State-owned Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited's (PHHL) chairman and managing director R K Tyagi told TOI that the helipad had been readied well in time for the Games and now they were only waiting for agencies to start using the facility.

"The helipad is meant to be used by athletes, officials and VIPs at present but after the Games it could well be used for tourism, etc. Security forces could also use it if the need arises. The main facility, however, will be at Rohini. We are developing the heliport there so choppers, etc, will be parked there. While it will not have the frills and fancies that are planned for it right now, it will be operationally ready to handle the Games traffic. The rest of it would be developed once the Games are over," said a PHHL official.

The facilities will be coming up at a total cost of about Rs 70 crore, including land acquisition and construction. Due to the high security nature of the chopper services during the Games, separate operational corridors have been earmarked for helicopters so that they do not come in conflict with commercial flights. "Services will be available from Safdarjung, Palam and the heliport at Rohini. While Safdarjung will be only for VIP and VVIP use, anybody else wishing to use the facility will have to go to either Palam or Rohini. These places were also selected so that we could avoid congestion. Separate corridors have also been identified that will be used by the helicopters, both for security and to avoid conflict with commercial air traffic," added the official.

Sources said PHHL had two choppers dedicated for Games services but more could be put in use if there was a demand. "One helicopter has been booked by an agency for coverage of events like bicycling but there are two others that can also be taken up. If need be, we will also press more choppers into service," said the official. However, according to sources, PHHL had not been approached so far for its helicopter services.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Helipad-next-to-Village-ready/articleshow/6555903.cms#ixzz0zZzH8Sn1