Proposal to install special towers in high hills to locate crash sites

A proposal to install special towers in high mountains to locate crash sites is in the pipeline, Avinash Negi, director of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, said on Thursday.

Days after three foreign paragliders were rescued from the higher reaches of Kullu district, Negi said there was a need for more safety arrangements to protect people involved in adventure sports, especially paragliding.

The paragliders fly with a device that sends emergency and emergency landing alerts to the operators, but the GPS devices connected to the satellite display vague locations (50 to 100 meters), which can be crucial in saving lives , Negi said.

“A proposal to install special towers in high mountains to locate crash sites in case of accidents is in the pipeline,” he added.

A 10-member team of AVIMAS had rescued three foreign paragliders, which had taken off from Bir-Billing in Kangra district on Thursday. They got lost due to strong winds and made an emergency landing in the mountains of Kullu district.