In a further assertion of its sovereign control over Tawang, a territory that has long been at the centre of a border dispute with China, India on Sunday connected this small Arunachal Pradesh hill town, perched 11,000 feet above sea level, with an exclusive helicopter service from Guwahati.

Flagging off the inaugural flight of a Pawan Hans MI 172 helicopter from Tawang’s Chongprong helipad today, Arunachal Pradesh Governor General J J Singh fulfilled the commitment made to this effect by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his maiden visit to the easternmost frontier state earlier this year. As much as 75 per cent of the total cost of running this service has been subsidised by the Government of India.

To be stationed in Guwahati, the helicopter will fly from Guwahati to Tawang and back six days a week within a ceiling of 52 hours of flying hours allotted by the Home Ministry. Two days a week (Monday and Wednesday), the flight will also touch Lumla. Arunachal Pradesh Government officials added that they were planning to fix the schedule of this flight in a manner that gives passengers the option of taking an early morning flight from New Delhi to Guwahati and then taking this helicopter service as a connecting flight to reach Tawang by 11 am. Pawan Hans bagged the contract for this service through open bidding.

With each ticket costing Rs 3,000, the 50-minute flight will carry around 15 people, even though the helicopter has a capacity of 26 passengers. “This is to ensure that passengers travel in comfort despite the high altitude of the flight,” a Government official said. Government sources further added that the helicopter has been equipped with aviation oxygen masks as a precautionary measure.

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