On Sept 27 helicopter service to start between Churachandpur-Aizawl

Aizawl: In an official statement issued on Sunday, it was announced that a helicopter service connecting Churachandpur in Manipur to Mualpui Helipad in Aizawl, Mizoram, part of the helicopter service scheme of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has been started as The service is scheduled to commence on 27 September 2023, subject to favorable weather conditions.
The development comes as a welcome relief to those who have been badly affected by the ethnic conflict that erupted in the state earlier this year.

The initiative aims to provide a safe and efficient mode of transportation for residents of Manipur who have faced travel restrictions due to the ongoing conflict.
In August, the central government approved two inter-state routes for helicopter services, especially for people affected by the communal conflict that erupted in Manipur in early May this year.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the state government of its decision on August 11. The approved routes include Mizoram’s Churachandpur to Aizawl, and another from Kangpokpi/Senapati to Dimapur in Nagaland.
The conflict, which began on 3 May, forced the Kuki-Zomi people, who had settled in the Imphal Valley, to return to their respective hill districts, and the Meiteis, who had settled in the hill districts.

To return to the valley region were Fear of violence from other communities had paralyzed road travel within the state, making helicopter service a vital lifeline for the affected population.