Mid-air mess in HP
THE death of two foreign paragliders in two days in Himachal Pradesh has cast a long shadow on the Paragliding World Cup 2024, which starts today at Bir-Billing in Kangra district. A Belgian national was killed after his parachute did not open following a mid-air collision with another paraglider at Bir-Billing on Tuesday. Shockingly, 10 paragliders were flying simultaneously when the inevitable mishap occurred. A Czech woman met her end after she crashed into a mountain in Manali on Wednesday. As many as 10 paragliders, mostly free-fliers, have been killed in the hill state in the last two years. Yet, the business-as-usual approach continues unabated.
Every adventure sport entails a risk to life and limb, but tragic accidents can be minimised by strict adherence to safety protocols. This week’s deaths are a wake-up call for the state paragliding authorities as well as the organisers of the November 2-9 World Cup, which will feature participants from around 50 countries. Paragliding is a popular adventure sport in Himachal, but the safety of fliers has been a matter of concern. Untrained pilots and unregistered private paragliding schools – these are key factors that endanger the lives of paragliders. No guidelines have been laid down to regulate paragliding schools in the state. The state Tourism Department has worsened the mess by failing to make a government-funded paragliding school operational at Bir-Billing, even three years after it was set up at a cost of Rs 8 crore.
Attributing the mishaps solely to the recklessness of fliers reflects an evasive attitude. Paragliding should be suspended till foolproof security measures are put in place. There is a need to weed out unprofessional and unauthorised persons involved in this sport, for at stake is Bir-Billing’s reputation as a paragliding paradise. Hosting the World Cup is a big achievement, but it’s more important to work on improving flier safety throughout the year. All stakeholders must take urgent steps to ensure that the mid-air thrills eclipse the perils.
