Dehradun, June 24 -- Helicopter services to the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand have been shut till September in accordance with operational guidelines issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) pertaining to adverse weather conditions and the arrival of monsoon, people aware of the matter said on Monday. "The operators shut down their operations with the arrival of the monsoon season. The services will now resume in September in compliance with the directions of the DGCA," Rudraprayag district tourism officer and nodal officer for chopper services to Kedarnath Rahul Chaubey said. In a statement issued on Sunday, DGCA said the operational guidelines for operators during adverse weather conditions have been revised, emphasising that safety should take precedence over "schedule adherence" and encouraged pilots to divert flights in unpredictable conditions. The regulator said, "Captains are encouraged to initiate diversions or air-turn-backs, as required by prevailing conditions." "The revised circular remains applicable to all scheduled and non-scheduled operators, as well as all flight crew operating during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, adverse weather and periods of turbulence," the statement read. The guidelines come in the backdrop of recent helicopter accidents in Kedarnath. A helicopter with pilgrims on board from Kedarnath crashed on June 15, killing all seven people aboard, including a two-year-old girl. The tragedy was the fifth helicopter incident on the route in six weeks. Three emergency landings and another crash killed six people during this period. The crash prompted the suspension of the chopper services on the Char Dham route for two days....