Drug menace among paragliders: Kullu administration to start drug testing
In wake of growing complaints of drug menace among paragliders, Kullu district administration to start drug testing for which testing kits have been procured. This decision was taken during the meeting of technical committee related to paragliding held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Torul S Raveesh, on Friday.
In wake of growing complaints of drug menace among paragliders, Kullu district administration to start drug testing for which testing kits have been procured.
This decision was taken during the meeting of technical committee related to paragliding held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Torul S Raveesh, on Friday.
The meeting assumes significance in wake of 5 deaths (in both solo and tandem flights) were reported in the last five years in Kullu district and the probe into the incidents have attributed the deaths to “human error”.
Paragliding in India had taken off in Himachal’s Bir Billing in the early 1990s. It was in 1996 that tandem paragliding was first introduced by Roshan Thakur in the Solang valley. Over the years commercial tandem flying had become well-established as a recreational sport in Himachal. In district Kullu Paragliding can be done at Solang Valley, Garsa, and Dobhi.
“There is a need to pay more attention to drug surveillance,” said DC Kullu adding that drug testing kits have been procured. She said, “Now there will be surprise tests of those who do paragliding. This is to ascertain the growing drug menace and these tests will also help us zero down on people who paraglide after consuming drugs”. The district administration had been getting complaints regarding the same.
The deputy commissioner had directed police to inspect the paragliding sites once or twice a week. “Officials should also be given inspection targets and a format for inspection should also be prepared,” said Raveesh while talking of enhanced safety measures. She also suggested installing CCTV cameras at paragliding sites so that the activities can be monitored properly.
Raveesh said that to curb the pilots doing paragliding without license, more attention should be paid to surprise inspections and she also urged the members to “immediately complain if the rules are violated”.
To regulate the flights, Raveesh said, “A single counter will be arranged for booking paragliding for convenience of the tourists and regulation of flights can also be done in a better way”.
“Apart these measures, the district administration will send a proposal to the state government to provide powers of confiscation, license suspension and imposing heavy fines so that strict compliance of the rules can be ensured,” said Raveesh.