The Bhutanese Leading the way.
In the last issue of this paper, we did a story on how the Department of Geology and Mines (DGM) has hired two especially equipped Australian helicopters to do aerial surveys of the country using magnetometer and LiDAR or laser scanning to map areas in Bhutan at or under 10,000 feet for minerals.
It now turns out that the Helicopters were supposed to be here by late December 2024 or early January 2025 but got held up for around two months in Myanmar after the initial permit to fly over India expired.
The good news is that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of the Indian government on 6th March 2025 secured the permission for the two choppers to fly after the Australian High Commission in Delhi approached the MEA and the RGoB also approached the Indian Embassy here.
As per the original plan the two choppers were supposed to land in the Paro International Airport on 18th December 2024.
The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) in India had given permission for the choppers to fly from Myanmar, land in Imphal, Manipur, in India, refuel, and then fly to Bhutan.
However, poor weather hindered the flight from Myanmar and the flight could not happen. Prior to Myanmar, the helicopter had flown in from Thailand.
Given that over flight and landing permissions are only given for a limited duration the original DCA, India permission expired.
A few days later the Australian company approached the DCA to fly again but there was no response for around two months and also no explanation on why the same permission was not being given again.
The responsibility for flying in the helicopters and securing over flight permissions was left to the Australian company hired for the mining survey by the DGM.
With the Australian Company getting nowhere with the DCA the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MoFAET) approached the Indian Embassy in late January or early February 2025 and placed in a request to allow the two helicopters to come in.
The Indian Embassy processed the request and sent it to Delhi. A source said that something like this involves several ministries and agencies and so it took some time in Delhi, but clearance was given as per the RGoB request.
With the two-month delay it seems the Australian High Commission in Delhi also got involved and had to raise the matter with the MEA after which the DCA has given clearance to allow the two helicopters to fly in.
The helicopters now will fly directly from Myanmar to Gelephu, refuel there and then head to Paro.
It will be engaged in three months of flying over Bhutan at or below 10,000 feet and using the magnetometer and laser technology to survey for possible mineral deposits after which the data will be analyzed by experts for another 9 months to create a mineral map for Bhutan. The project cost is Nu 700 mn.
The fact that the DCA first easily and smoothly gave permission and then later did not renew it for around two months with no explanation raises questions on what happened and why DCA held back the permission for so long necessitating the MoFAET and the Australian High Commission to both step in and make special requests to the MEA.
This is also in the backdrop of normally many private flights to Bhutan including chartered jets being approved easily by the DCA in the past with no issues.
