Himachal Pradesh: Son killed in paragliding, father moves petition to seek safety of others

SHIMLA: A 23-year-old resident of Mohali in Punjab, Amandeep Singh Sodhi was killed on May 18 after a paraglider crashed at Solang valley of Manali. While the incident brought to light the safety arrangements in place for those taking paragliding ride, now his father Inderbir Singh Sobti has moved an online petition to Prime Minister of India, Union ministry of tourism, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and the state tourism department to provide Emergency Healthcare and Trauma Care services at the paragliding site at Solang Valley, Manali.Petition has already gathered the support of 4000 people.
Inderbir Singh Sobti said that with a very heavy heart he has written this petition to let the world know about the misfortune of his son getting no medical facilities when it mattered the most to him. He said that his son an entrepreneur based in Chandigarh had lost his life due to the negligence of the management of Paragliding Operators at Solang valley in Manali.
"Amandeep was on a short refreshing trip to Manali with his friends. On the unfortunate afternoon of May 18, he decided to go for a paragliding ride in Solang valley. His ride was ungrateful, he fell down and broke his ribs but was alive. The pilot was injured too but the biggest shock came when his friends realised that there was no medical facilities available at the spot and the nearest first aid available was 10 kms away. On his way to the hospital, my son succumbed to his injuries," he added.
He said that multiple paragliding accidents have even taken place in the past taking many innocent lives. He said that as a responsible and involved citizen of India, he has placed a petition to the Prime Minister of India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) and the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation of Himachal Pradesh to provide Emergency Healthcare and Trauma Care services at the paragliding site at Solang Valley, Manali.
“Also, I petition them to find the cause for repeated accidents and mishaps at the said paragliding site and implement corrective measures to avoid the same in future,” he said.
Inderbir Singh Sobti demanded the improvement of safety facilities and imposition of strict guidelines for agents offering Paragliding, rope way or other similar adventure related services; positioning of permanent Trauma Care Ambulance and availability of first aid facilities by the management in supervision of the government authorities.
He also demanded hiring of trained pilots as most of the pilots at the Solang valley are on contractual basis and do not have sufficient expertise to qualify to be a Paraglider. He also demanded personal accountability, standardization of agents and their equipment offering such services.
“There is no way to bring back the people who have been victims of the irresponsible adventure service providers in Solang valley. But we can raise our voices and urge the authorities to ensure that there is no further loss of human life and no other family has to experience what I and my family have experienced,” he added.