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India's private helicopter services in demand for providing aid

On Wednesday, a Europe-based aid agency approached a leading private charter company based here for transporting medicines to the interiors of earthquake-ridden Nepal.

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On Wednesday, a Europe-based aid agency approached a leading private charter company based here for transporting medicines to the interiors of earthquake-ridden Nepal.

Even though scheduled airlines like Air India, Indigo, and Spicejet- besides Indian military planes- are ferrying aid, it is mainly limited to Kathmandu. Hundreds of villages in the interiors of the Himalayan country are still to get any kind of help.

"Supplying aid up to Kathmandu is not a problem. But carrying it further is a problem, due to the severe constraint of almost non-existent infrastructure. So several foreign aid agencies and Indian government are approaching private helicopter operators for carrying the relief material to the isolated regions which have been cut off due to the earthquake," said Captain Uday Gelli, president (west region), Rotary Wing Society of India, an association working for growth of civil & military helicopter industry in India.

The industry insiders expect many charter operators to come forward to work in Nepal as humanitarian gesture- by providing their services at 'no-profit-no-loss' basis. "It is a great opportunity for us to serve humanity by offering our services for rescue and aid work in Nepal," said Archit Gupta of Atom Aviation Services.

The worst-hit areas are around the epicentre of the quake, including Ramechapp, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk, and Gorkha district, where hundreds of villages appear to have been entirely destroyed. Aid has not reached many of these villages due to severe lack of infrastructure. Tensions against the state machinery are rising in Nepal as aid is yet to reach the isolated villages located among hill terrains.

Industry insiders claim that privately-owned helicopters are in demand because of their suitability to the tough and hilly terrains of Nepal, where roads and railway routes have been badly damaged.

18-20 helicopters from private operators were pressed into service daily for over 10 days during the Uttarakhand flood last year.

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