Vithaldas Hegde
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PANJIM: The tragic death of two individuals during a paragliding adventure
at Keri, Pernem, has exposed the loopholes in the regulation of Goa’s adventure sports activities, with different government agencies having overlapping and often poorly defined jurisdiction.
For example, while the Goa government has already put in place a policy for regulating watersports, the guidelines for paragliding are reportedly governed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte emphasized the government’s responsibility to address the situation holistically. Speaking to
O Heraldo, he said, “Based on this incident, we are looking at the activities thoroughly. We need to address it responsibly. The government cannot oversee every business, but operators need to be accountable for their actions.”
Khaunte further highlighted that the operator involved in the incident lacked a valid license and the renewal of the operator’s license had not
been considered due to objections from the Keri village panchayat and local MLA Jit Arolkar. The MLA had raised concerns about the operator’s haphazard operations.
“The Civil Aviation Ministry has laid down guidelines for every adventure activity, including paragliding,” Khaunte added.
Ryan Pinto, a Goan who owns and pilots power paragliders, emphasized the importance of safety and proper training in the sport.
Pinto, who is licensed to fly commercially, said, “You cannot take risks in paragliding. Much depends on the wind conditions, which must be favourable. If conditions are not right, I cancel bookings. I hold permission from Air Traffic Control (ATC) to fly at Colva Beach, where helicopters sometimes hover.”
Samson D’Silva, a founder member of the Paragliding Association of India (PAI), explained that while the government does not have a specific policy for paragliding, the association follows internationally recognized standards for training and certification. He said, “We have a system in place for skill-level certification. At my training school, we train one person at a time, assess their skill, and certify them once they are proficient.”
He added that PAI only operates during optimal weather conditions. “For motor paragliding, we operate only during the first two hours in the morning, as that is the best time. For regular gliding, weather, equipment, and the pilot’s skill level must be carefully checked,” D’Silva said.
Badari Duddupudi, Vice-President of PAI, highlighted the association’s efforts to ensure the safety of both pilots and passengers. PAI has published a 113-page Tandem Pilot Handbook, a resource aimed at guiding pilots and ensuring consistent safety practices.
According to Duddupudi, for tandem paragliding, pilots must first complete 50 solo flights and then perform 200 flights with a co-pilot before they are certified to fly with passengers. However, he pointed out that there is currently no government system in place to recognize training schools or standardize certification processes.
“We have 800 pilots who have come together to form the association. A pilot must be physically fit and must be able to read, write, and speak English. The most important factor is the pilot’s air time. If anything goes wrong, it’s because the pilot was not well trained,” Duddupudi stated.
He concluded, “If all pilots are trained properly, there will be no issues with safety.”
Pernem
paragliding co owner arrested
PERNEM: Shekhar Raizada, owner of the Hike ‘N’ Fly paragliding company, was arrested on Monday in connection with the deaths of a 26-year-old tourist from Pune, Shivani Dable, and a 25-year-old paragliding pilot. Raizada has been remanded in police custody for five days as investigations continue.
The Department of Tourism clarified that it had not authorised paragliding activities on the Keri plateau and warned of strict action against those responsible for the unauthorised operation. Three individuals had registered with the department to operate paragliding activities in the area.
Raizada, a resident of Paliem, Pernem, has submitted documents, including a certificate for pilot Soman Nepali from Nepal, who was working with the company. The certificate, issued in Nepal, is being verified to determine its validity in India.
The post-mortem examination of Shivani Dable was conducted at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) on Monday, with her body being sent to Pune for final rites.
The autopsy of the deceased pilot will be conducted once his parents arrive in Goa, according to police.
Shivani, who was on holiday with a friend, had decided to try paragliding on Saturday. She went first, but tragically died when her paraglider crashed.
