Stranded at 12,000 ft in abandoned Uttarakhand village, CEC had instant noodles, dry fruits for food

Pithoragarh: Stranded in a deserted Uttarakhand village at a height of 12,000 feet for 17 hours in sub-zero temperature, it was an experience that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar may never forget for the rest of his life.

The top election official was en route Milam to visit some remote polling stations in the Pithoragarh region on Wednesday afternoon when his chopper with the pilot and two others on board was forced to make an emergency landing at Ralam village, around 42 km from Munsyari, due to dense cloud and poor visibility.

Incidentally, Ralam is inhabited only during summer as its residents migrate to the lower areas during the harsh winter which has already started to set in.

Accompanied by Additional Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande, the pilot of the chopper and one poll staff, Kumar waited for hours in a field till 5 pm before two trekkers from Bengaluru spotted the stranded team, ITBP sources said.

The two trekkers offered them instant noodles and dry fruits for food, opened an uninhabited house, and lit a bonfire for them to spend the night amid freezing temperature with no quilts or adequate warm clothes for protection.

"The CEC informed us about their chopper making an emergency landing at around 1 pm on Wednesday. He also told us that all of them were safe.

“We immediately alerted the ITBP posts at Milam and Lilam and told the troopers to reach the spot where the chopper made the emergency landing," Pithoragarh District Magistrate Vinod Girish Goswami said.

In the meanwhile, the villagers from the surrounding areas also came to know about the chopper landing in Ralam, following which Ishwar Singh Nabiyal, the pradhan of Pato village, reached the spot along with others after covering a distance of 8 km, Goswami said.

"Nabiyal was the first person to reach the spot at 1 am on Thursday. He also offered the CEC and others dry fruits which he brought with him," the official added.

Finally, at around 5 am on Thursday, ITBP teams reached the spot with life-saving medicines and food. They also prepared tea for the stranded team after which the CEC and others left for Munsyari at around 6 am, Goswami said.

After resting for a while at the ITBP rest house in Munsyari, Kumar left for New Delhi, he added.

Nabiyal said the CEC praised the locals for helping them in an emergency situation, saying the people of “Devbhoomi” are all helpful by nature.