In a continued effort to supply essential rations to far-flung Malana village in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, the local administration’s attempts to deliver by helicopter have once again been unsuccessful.
Despite taking off from Bhuntar airport with the necessary provisions, the helicopter was unable to land at the temporary helipad set up in Malana for the second consecutive day.
In a bid to overcome the challenging terrain, the helicopter crew resorted to dropping supplies from the air onto a nearby hillside. However, many of the ration packets were damaged upon impact with the ground, leaving the villagers’ hopes dashed. The residents of Malana had worked tirelessly for a week to level a patch of land, creating a makeshift helipad without any mechanical assistance, in anticipation of the helicopter’s arrival.
Raju Ram, the head of Malana panchayat, expressed his concerns and appealed to the administration to find a solution quickly. He emphasised the urgency of delivering rations to the villagers to prevent further hardship.
Kullu-Sadar SDM Vikas Shukla said that 15 quintals of ration had been delivered to Malana so far. He acknowledged the challenges faced by the helicopter operations and announced that the administration would now focus on delivering supplies via footpath, ensuring that the villagers receive the necessary aid.
The connectivity to Malana village was cut-off after a cloudburst resulted in breaching of the barrage of a private hydel project, which flooded the nullah and caused extensive damage to Jari-Malana road on the night of July 31. The trek routes from Chanderkhani and Rasol are tedious and risky and it is not feasible to carry ration through these routes. During a natural disaster in July and August 2023, ration and other essential supplies were air-dropped in many villages as connectivity to some of the villages remained disrupted for over one month.
