Four students from Balotra, Rajasthan, who went to Haldwani, Uttarakhand, for an exam, found themselves stranded because road movement was disrupted by landslides and constant rain. To reach their exam centre, the students devised a creative plan.
The candidates are Prakash Choudhary from Bankiyawas, Lucky Choudhary from Gida, Omaram Choudhary from Newari village, and Magaram Choudhary from Sindhari. They are enrolled in Uttarakhand Open University's correspondence program to get a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree, NDTV reports.
They were supposed to show up for their final semester exam at RS Tolia PG College in Munsiyari on September 3.
Roads further ahead were destroyed and blocked by landslides and strong rains, but they were able to make it to Haldwani by road.
Due to the closure of the Haldwani-Pithoragarh and Tanakpur-Pithoragarh routes, taxi drivers declined to transport them to the exam centre.
The helicopter service was explained to the candidates. They then got in touch with Heritage Aviation's Chief Executive Officer and asked for assistance, stating that failing the test would be a waste of a whole year's hard work.
The company dispatched a chopper with two pilots and made special arrangements. After a safe helicopter ride to RS Tolia PG College in Munsiyari, the kids took their exam and made their way back to Haldwani.
Each student spent about Rs 5,200 per trip, totalling Rs 10,400 for the round trip. The road distance between Haldwani and Munsiyari is approximately 280 kilometers, a trip that often takes 10 hours; nevertheless, it only took 25 to 30 minutes by helicopter.
At the same time, the four students are pursuing their BEd degrees while working as third-grade teachers at various schools.
