Parliament debates paragliding safety concerns at Himachal’s Bir-Billing, mentions slew of precautions
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Dharamshala/Shimla/Delhi: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu recently announced a paragliding championship at Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh for November this year. However, safety concerns regarding paragliding activities at Bir-Billing have been brought to the forefront during the monsoon session of Parliament. The issue was raised on July 22, 2024.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Member of Parliament from Saran in Bihar, addressed the matter in the ongoing session. He asked if there had been an increase in the number of deaths during paragliding at Bir-Billing and what steps the government has taken to enhance the safety of paragliders.
In response, Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the Department of Tourism, Government of Himachal Pradesh, recorded nine deaths from 2020 to July 19, 2024, in both tandem and solo flights. “The cause of these deaths is the crash of paragliders,” Shekhawat informed Parliament.
He further said that to address these risks, the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), has launched the “Indian Adventure Tourism Guidelines (Version 2.0)-2018”, which outlines safety and quality norms for adventure tourism in India.
“The Ministry of Tourism has also formulated a National Strategy for Adventure Tourism, with one of its key strategic pillars being the strengthening of the adventure tourism safety management framework,” Shekhawat said.
The Department of Tourism, Government of Himachal Pradesh, conveyed to Parliament that various measures have been taken to enhance safety, including the deployment of marshals at take-off and landing sites.
The state has improved these sites from a safety perspective and ensures that all protocols of the HP Aero Sports Rules, 2022, are followed by the District Technical Committee.
Additionally, random inspections are conducted by the Technical Committee to ensure the safety of paragliders.
