The helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu, who was on her way to the famed Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, got stuck at the helipad on landing at Pramadam, near Pathanamthitta, Kerala on Wednesday morning.
The helicopter’s tires sank slightly into the freshly laid concrete at the Konni Pramadam Indoor Stadium near Pathanamthitta. However, the President continued her journey to Pampa by road without any delay.
The helicopter was initially scheduled to land at Nilakkal for the President’s Sabarimala visit. However, due to adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain, the landing site was shifted at the last minute to the Pramadam Indoor Stadium. To prepare the helipad, concrete was poured at Pramadam that morning. The helicopter landed before the concrete had hardened, causing the surface to cave in. There are allegations that the incident was a serious safety lapse.
President Droupadi Murmu left for Sabarimala this morning to perform darshan at the famed Ayyappa temple. She departed from Raj Bhavan for Thiruvananthapuram airport at around 7:30 am. and reached Pathanamthitta by helicopter. The helicopter landed at Pramadam at 9 am., and from there, she proceeded by road to Pampa, the base station of the Sabarimala hill shrine. Traditional rituals, including the tying of the ‘Irumudi,’ will be performed at the Pampa Ganapathi temple. Following this, President Murmu will travel by a four-wheel-drive vehicle via Swami Ayyappan Road, making her the first head of state to reach Sannidhanam by vehicle.
According to sources, the decision to travel by a special Force Gurkha vehicle was taken in view of her health and security constraints in the hilly terrain. In 1973, then President V V Giri reached Sannidhanam using the dolly service. In fact, dolly service was introduced in Sabarimala for his visit. The president is scheduled to return from Sabarimala in the afternoon after performing darshan at the temple. . Heavy security arrangements have been deployed at both Sabarimala and the base camp in connection with the president’s visit.
#WATCH | Kerala: A portion of the helipad tarmac sank in after a chopper carrying President Droupdi Murmu landed at Pramadam Stadium. Police and fire department personnel deployed at the spot physically pushed the helicopter out of the sunken spot. pic.x.com/QDmf28PqIb
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2025