With a very heavy heart I, Inderbir Singh Sobti, father of Amandeep Singh Sobti is writing this petition to let the world know about the misfortune of my son getting no medical facilities when it mattered the most to him.
My son, a young 23 year old entrepreneur based in Chandigarh lost his life due to negligence of the management of Paragliding Operators at Salong Valley in Manali, India. Amandeep was on a short refreshing trip to Manali with his friends. On the unfortunate afternoon of 18th May, 2019, he decided to go for a Paragliding ride in Solang Valley. His ride was unfateful, he fell down and broke his ribs but was alive. The pilot was injured too but the biggest shock came when his friends realised that there were no medical facilities available at the spot and the nearest first aid available was 10 kms away. On his way to the Hospital, my son succumbed to his injuries.
Multiple such Paragliding accidents have even taken place in the past which has taken many innocent lives.
As a responsible and involved citizen of India, I place a Petition to the Prime Minister of India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) and The Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation of Himachal Pradesh to provide Emergency Healthcare and Trauma Care services at the paragliding site at Solang Valley, Manali.
Also, I petition them to find the cause for repeated accidents and mishaps at the said paragliding site and implement corrective measures to avoid the same in future.
I urge all the readers to sign this petition demanding the following:
1. Improvement of Safety Facilities and imposition of strict guidelines for agents offering Paragliding, ropeway or other similar adventure related services.
2. Positioning of permanent Trauma Care Ambulance and availability of first aid facilities by the management in supervision of the Government Authorities.
3. Hiring of Trained Pilots as most of the pilots at the Valley are on contractual basis and do not have sufficient expertise to qualify to be a Paraglider.
4. Personal accountability,standardization of agents and their equipments offering such services.
There is no way to bring back the people who have been victims of the irresponsible adventure service providers in Solang Valley. But we can raise our voices and urge the authorities to ensure that there is no further loss of human life and no other family has to experience what I and my family have experienced.
