Chandigarh
Paragliding activities suspended in Gadsa a few days after the death of Tamil Nadu tourist Jayesh Ram
In the past 18 months, at least seven people, including several foreigners, have lost their lives in paragliding accidents in Himachal Pradesh.
Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), January 21: On Monday, Kullu authorities halted paragliding operations at Gadsa, just three days after a tragic incident where a tourist from Tamil Nadu fell to his death, and the pilot was injured. The accident reportedly occurred when their paraglider collided mid-air with another, causing it to crash.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vikas Shukla had initially reported, based on preliminary findings, that the accident occurred when local pilot Ashwani Kumar attempted a 360-degree maneuver, causing his paraglider to collide with another. However, tourism officials now assert that the paraglider collapsed independently, leading to the death of tourist Jayesh Ram and injuries to the pilot. According to SDM Shukla, the other pilot involved in the incident was able to regain control of his glider and land safely afterward.
District Tourism Development Officer (DTDO) of Kullu, Sunaina Sharma, stated that there were no adverse environmental factors that could have caused the tragic incident. “There are possibilities of negligence on the part of Ashwani Kumar, a registered pilot with the tourism department. Initial reports indicated that Jayesh Ram, 28, died after his glider fell following a mid-air collision. However, the preliminary investigation suggests that his glider did not collide with another, but instead collapsed on its own. If a collision had occurred, the paraglider would have sustained visible damage. These are the findings from the preliminary probe, though a more detailed magisterial investigation is currently underway,” Sharma explained to the Diary Times.
DTDO Sharma also confirmed that paragliding activities at Gadsa have been suspended until further notice.
While Kumar is receiving treatment at PGIMER in Chandigarh, sources revealed that the owner of the adventure company through which Jayesh Ram booked the pilot has been issued a notice to appear before a panel on Tuesday.
Sources indicated that the paraglider equipment used by Kumar during the tandem flight was inspected by tourism officials, as required by regulations for all paragliding companies, and was deemed to be in proper condition.
The police have filed a case under sections 125 (negligent act endangering others’ lives) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, while the Kullu district administration has initiated a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
In January 2023, paragliding was prohibited at the Gadsa site following the discovery of several violations. However, the ban was lifted just a month later.
Jayesh Ram, the founder of Tools Hub, a hardware store franchise in Tamil Nadu, became the latest victim of the growing number of paragliding fatalities in Himachal Pradesh. The CEO of tech company Zoho, Sridhar Vembu, expressed his sorrow over the tragic incident, highlighting the alarming frequency of such accidents due to weak regulations. “So many accidents occur due to sickening regulatory lapses… I am deeply saddened that Jayesh has become yet another statistic,” Vembu wrote on X, calling for a much stronger regulatory framework.
The day after Jayesh’s tragic death, Bhavsar Khushi, a resident of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, fell approximately 60 feet during the takeoff of a tandem flight at the Indrunag paragliding site near Dharamshala, resulting in her death. The pilot, Munish Kumar, also fell and sustained injuries. Assistant Superintendent of Police, Kangra, Bir Bahadur, confirmed that the pilot was taken to Tanda Medical College for treatment. He stated that a thorough investigation is underway to examine all aspects of the incident.
On January 8, a 32-year-old tourist from Telangana, Mahesh Reddy, lost his life in a paragliding accident at Raison, located around 20 km from Manali in Kullu district. In the aftermath, tourism authorities shut down the Naga Bagh paragliding site. Preliminary investigations revealed operator negligence, as the flight did not depart from the designated site approved by the tourism department. As a result, the operator’s license was revoked.
Diary Times is now on Whatsapp Channels. Click here to join
(Diary Times– Shimla’s independent hyperlocal community news website covering local news, stories, events, food, music, fashion, sports, nightlife, entertainment & more since 2019 is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join Diary Times Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)
