Air Force airlifts stranded passengers

Srinagar/Jammu, Dec 24 (PTI) Hundreds of passengers
stranded in various parts of the Valley due to heavy snowfall
were Wednesday airlifted to their homes by the Indian Air
Force, who arranged special helicopter sorties for the
purpose.

58 residents of the border town of Gurez, who had been
stranded in Bandipore were airlifted to their homes, an
official spokesman said.

The residents had been stranded due to heavy snowfall,
blocking the highway from Bandipore to Gurez over the Rajdhani
Pass.

Similarly, 78 stranded passengers were airlifted from
Bandipora to Gurez in MI-17 planes of the Air Force, the
spokesman said.

Gurez, situated near the Line of Control, is cut off from
rest of the state by road due to recent snowfall in the area.

Meanwhile, Air Force Courier Service for airlifting
passengers from Jammu to Kargil would commence from December
27 to redress the grievances of the stranded Kargil-bound
passengers.

This was decided at a meeting held here Wednesday chaired
by adviser to Governor C Phunsog and attended by the Director
of Air Force Authorities of India N N Gupta and the Director
Civil Aviation S Katoch, the spokesman said.

He said two sorties of the Air Force Courier Service on
Saturday and Tuesday for airlifting passengers from Jammu to
Kargil would be operated on weekly basis. PTI AMS
RKM
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