Subsidised helicopter services to ferry civilians from Churachandpur in Manipur to Aizawl in neighbouring Mizoram are set to begin this week. A helicopter service from Kuki-Zomi-dominated Churacha-ndpur to the airport in Meitei-dominated Imphal had been introduced this June as the movement of people from these communities to areas dominated by the other has become nearly impossible since violence broke out in the state on May 3. According to a Churachandpur district official, people from the Kuki-Zomi community, however, have been pressing for an alternative helicopter route to Aizawl airport, which they consider a safer option amid the ongoing conflict. Moreover, with facilities in Imphal out of reach, people from Churachandpur have been travelling to Aizawl – a journey of over 12 hours on hill roads – for, among other things, medical needs that cannot be met by the limited facilities available at the Churachandpur district hospital. The service between Churachandpur and the Mualpui Helipad in Aizawl will begin Wednesday under Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ helicopter service scheme. The service will be available for Rs 4,500 from Churachandpur to Aizawl and for Rs 6,000 from Aizawl to Churachandpur. This new route was approved on August 11, with route from Kangpokpi – another Kuki-Zomi dominated district – to Dimapur in Nagaland.
