NEW DELHI: Yet another crash of a chopper ferrying pilgrims on the Char Dham route has brought into focus safety flags raised by a parliamentary panel overseeing aviation sector that have gone unheeded despite recurring tragedies.

From "responsibility vacuum" which dilutes accountability to "pressure culture" that allows commercial considerations to override no-go weather conditions, the committee has in its recent reports, including one in March, highlighted several worrying factors at play in the helicopter services being offered to Char Dham pilgrims.

"The situation with helicopter operations in Char Dham sector is a symptom of a larger and dangerous structural flaw in India's aviation governance: a fractured and ambiguous regulatory command structure," the parliamentary panel on transport, tourism and culture headed by JDU MP Sanjay Jha had said.

It said DGCA has ceded direct oversight of one of the country's most hazardous aviation zones to a state-level body, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, whose capacity and expertise are under the scanner. This two-tiered safety system, with differing levels of scrutiny, is inherently unsafe and unsustainable, it added.

A series of chopper crashes on the Char Dham route last year had led the committee to consult a number of experts and stakeholders, including aviation ministry, DGCA and private players, to look into the reasons behind the accidents and offer recommendations which, sources said, are yet to be implemented.

The committee also pointed out "a glaring regulatory gap of significant concern", which is the absence of any mandatory, terrain-specific mountain flying training and certification for pilots who operate in the treacherous Himalayan region. "DGCA itself had expressed concern that UCADA lacked adequately trained and competent manpower for such high-density operations, yet a specific training mandate for these unique conditions was not in place.

"

Aviation ministry acknowledged the high-risk operational environment, marked by challenging topography, rapidly changing and often severe climatic conditions, and high-density traffic, and said the inherent risks warranted immediate and serious intervention.