HC ban leaves paragliders high and dry

Acting on a PIL that questioned the safety standards of the adventure sport, the Himachal Pradesh High Court last week banned paragliding in the state. Since then, Kumar has fallen back on his old profession, that of a plumber, and earns a daily wage of about Rs 70. But he is not lucky enough to get work everyday.

Kumar is not the only one affected by the HC ban; there are dozens of young paragliding pilots like him who have been left with an uncertain future. Besides, most of the trade in this town has been thriving on tourists, and Bir has been a popular destination for foreign paragliders.

‘‘Everything will be hit. The hotel trade, cyber cafes, travel agents, the cab business, the PCOs,’’ says Suresh Thakur, who owns an Internet cafe here.

Another paragliding pilot, Jyoti Thakur, 26, who ranked 6th in the Paragliding World Championship last year, says, ‘‘This year, I bought a parachute of my own with a loan of Rs 1 lakh. I don’t know how I will repay the amount.’’ Thakur is now back to driving cabs.

Bir, which hosted the Paragliding Pre-World Cup for the last three years, is flooded with tourists throughout the year. On an average, 150-200 tourists visit the town every month solely for paragliding.

But while precautions are taken, the risk factor is high in the absence of a nodal agency to monitor safety standards. ‘‘Only during major events, the Aero Club of India in Delhi takes charge of the activities here,’’ says Jyoti Thakur.

MEANWHILE…

The dates for the Paragliding Pre-World Cup Championship have been decided. It is scheduled to be held in Bir from November 4 to 9. But the threat of cancellation looms large in wake of the high court’s directions.‘‘I am to blame for all this,’’ Raj Kumar breaks down. ‘‘It was just an accident that happened. The man from Chandigarh slipped and died,’’ Kumar says about the death of R.K. Tandon, a banker, who died here last month in a paragliding accident.