Ropeway tragedy

The ropeway mishap in Deoghar (Jharkhand), which claimed three lives, has prompted the Centre to tell all states and union territories to carry out a safety audit of various ropeway projects and put in place or review standard operating procedures (SOPs) for such emergencies. Over 60 tourists were stranded in mid-air for two days after a ropeway malfunction caused a collision between cable cars. A joint operation involving the IAF, NDRF, Army, ITBP and the local administration led to the rescue of almost all passengers. Ironically, the Deoghar ropeway had been declared safe by the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, after an audit conducted last month.

Ropeways and cable cars are a popular mode of transport to ferry tourists and pilgrims, especially in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand. The fee collected from passengers is a major source of revenue for states which bank heavily on the tourism sector. Plans are afoot to construct a 1.28-km-long ropeway between Katra and Adhkuwari for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K. The heavy footfall and high frequency of operations make it imperative for the authorities to regularly monitor the ropeways and fine-tune SOPs as well as contingency plans.

Back in 1992, the safety of cable cars had come under scrutiny when around 10 passengers found their lives hanging by a thread at Parwanoo (HP). They had been rescued after a 48-hour operation carried out by the Army and the IAF, with Major (later Colonel) Ivan Crasto and Group Capt (later Air Chief Marshal) Fali Homi Major being awarded the Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, respectively, for their derring-do. However, it seems that no lessons were learnt as several ropeway mishaps have occurred in the past three decades, including the 2017 Gulmarg tragedy in which seven persons were killed. The safety audit by the states and UTs should not be a perfunctory, self-defeating exercise. It must pinpoint lapses in preparedness and recommend course correction to rule out a risky, scary ride.