More than 80 per cent of manned helidecks have not been cleared by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in terms of safety. This means that even if there is a medical emergency on 50 out of 60 platforms on the western coast, the worker in need will not be allowed to get help. Moreover, after the Bombay High accident on November 4 last year which claimed the lives of two
Pawan Hans pilots, night landing emergency services for ambulances (helicopters) are yet to resume. Before the tragedy, the services were operational via the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).
The DGCA has cleared a total ten platforms which are now safe for ambulance landing.
There are 60 manned helidecks in Bombay High where work goes on for production of oil and gas. At a meet of helicopter operators on Wednesday, October 26, there was persistent clamour for having the night landing facility reinstated from Juhu aerodrome. S.A. Ravi, ED – Chief Offshore Logistics, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), highlighted the need for the facility saying the industry needed it.
Presently, ONGC has 60 offshore helidecks which are manned and nearly 200 ones that are unmanned. Around 25 to 30 flights are operated daily from Juhu aerodrome for offshore operations which amount to over 25,000 hours per year. An internal report by ONGC reveals that for the past five years, on an average, 12 medical evaluations have been conducted every year which boils down to only one medical evaluation a month by night.
