Pune: Eight years after the state govt announced a policy to create dedicated permanent helipads in every taluka, the plan remains largely unimplemented, with most districts yet to earmark land for such facilities due to space constraints and lack of sustained follow-through by district administrations.The helipad policy was introduced in 2018 following a series of near-miss helicopter incidents involving Devendra Fadnavis during his first term as CM. Under the policy, the state proposed developing 358 permanent helipads—one in each taluka—to ensure safer, standardised and better regulated helicopter operations. A govt resolution (GR) issued at the time directed all district collectors to identify and plan suitable locations for these permanent sites. Officials acknowledged that progress on the ground has been minimal. “Dedicated land parcels were not earmarked, as mandated by the GR. The policy needs to be revisited and made more practical,” said a senior govt official. The official said although the policy required identification and development of new helipad sites, district administrations largely continued to rely on already developed open grounds whenever helicopter landings were required. “No fresh sites were planned or formally reserved.” As per the policy, once sites were identified, the departments concerned and planning authorities were required to reserve them in development plans as no-development zones, keeping future helicopter traffic in mind. This was also meant to restrict construction of high-rise buildings or other structures that could obstruct helicopter takeoff and landing operations. “We were supposed to earmark govt land for this purpose, but that did not happen,” a senior Pune district administration official told TOI. The policy places responsibility on district collectors to ensure that no construction comes up around helipad sites that could obstruct chopper operations. It specifies that the helipad and the adjoining area within a 500m radius must be free of electric wires, telephone and data cables, TV cables, microwave towers, transformers, or any other potential obstruction. The site should preferably be away from densely populated areas and must have easy two-way vehicular access for emergency services such as ambulances and fire engines. “Where is the land with so much development already in place?” said another official. A retired senior govt official pointed out that identification of land alone is insufficient. “The policy also requires proper barricading, deployment of trained staff and dedicated security arrangements. Implementing all this in every taluka is extremely challenging,” the retired official said. He added that Haryana and West Bengal have already operationalised dedicated helipad policies to enable safer landings. The policy mandates that crowd must be barricaded at least 300m from the centre of the landing site, with only authorised personnel allowed inside the helipad area. It makes district collectors responsible for arranging ambulances, firefighting services and security during VIP movements. It also makes a medical officer’s presence mandatory for pre-flight medical checks of aircrew.
