KOLKATA: At around
10.30am on Sunday, while his friends were still reading newspapers over a
cup of tea, Rajiv Ranjan Pandey was soaring high. On the maiden flight
of Pawan Hans from Kolkata to Ganga Sagar, the clothe merchant was on a
flight of fancy.
As the eleven-seater Dauphin SA 365, the iconic
twin-engined Eurocopter helicopter, started soaring to 3,000 feet above
Kolkata, Pandey could feel the thrill he never felt on a plane. "I could
see the city becoming smaller gradually. The ramming sound of the
rotors that was driving the blades was the only sound I could hear. I
was a little afraid initially," said Pandey, with a smile.
Minutes
after taking off from Behala Flying Club, the helicopter took the
southward route along the Hooghly river. "From above, the river looked
like a long grey stretch flowing through green patches all across. You
never get to see the cities so clearly if you are on a plane," a
seemingly excited Pandey said.
"While the river was about to join
the seas, it widened and for a moment it seemed we were flying over an
ocean," Pandey said. Further south, Haldi river joined Hooghly.
The
twin engine Dauphin that left Kolkata at 10.30am, picked up a speed of
around 250 kilometre per hour within a few minutes. The entire stretch
to the Sagar Island was covered in 30 minutes. "I could also see the
huge chimney strutting out of the ground," said an amazed Sitaram Verma.
One of the main obstructions for the pilots is the 965-feet high
chimney stack of the CESC power plant in Budge Budge. The safety norms
require helicopters to fly 1,000 feet over the tallest structure in the
area.
While going from Kolkata to Ganga Sagar via road and
waterways, passengers have to drive till Harwood Point. A ferry service
from Harwood Point crosses the Muriganga river to reach Ganga Sagar.
On
his first ride in a helicopter, Verma was excited to notice how a
four-hour long journey to Ganga Sagar was reduced to merely 30 minutes.
"There was no bumpy ride on the road, no waiting for the launch from
Harwood Point. The journey was smooth," Verma said. "As the helicopter
approached the Sagar Island, I could see Kapil Muni's Ashram. I think we
were flying at 2,000 feet then," he added.
"We will fly from
Kolkata to Ganga Sagar every Sunday initially. The state government has
kept the fare at Rs 1,500 for one-way ride," said Sanjay Kumar, general
manager (marketing), Pawan Hans. The once-in-a-week helicopter service
will also cover Durgapur and Malda-Balurghat routes soon.
Kolkata- Gangasagar service
Will fly once every Sunday
Fare kept at Rs 1,500 (one side).
Tickets can be booked from Quick Service (Jadavpur) and Surabhi Communication (Howrah)
Will have to bring photo -ID both for purchasing tickets and boarding the aircraft.
Will have to reach at least one hour before boarding time.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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