Deoghar ropeway accident was a disaster waiting to happen: Here's why
India Today
Three people died while several others were injured in the Deoghar ropeway accident. Here's why it was a disaster waiting to happen.
After a rescue operation spanning over 40 hours, three people died and several others were injured as stranded cable cars dangled midair on the Deoghar ropeway. An accident took place near the Trikut Hills when cable cars collided on Sunday, leading to a complete halt of operations. Out of the three dead, two people were killed during the rescue operation. While one man fell from one of the Indian Airforce choppers, another woman died after the rope which was being used to rescue her broke. On Tuesday, the remaining 45 tourists who were stuck in the cable cars were rescued.
Jharkhand Tourism Department Director Rahul Sinha said the ropeway’s axle got dislodged on Sunday, resulting in a mishap.
Faced with questions about the mishap, the state government is defending itself and has blamed Damodar Ropeway and Infra Limited (DRIL)-- which operated the system -- and put it in the dock alleging that its contract and licence expired in 2019. Rahul Sinha said the contract with Damodar Infra was valid between 2014 and 2019. The contract could not be renewed during the Covid period.
However, the General Manager of Damodar Infra, Mahesh Moity, asked how the ropeway was being operated without the consent of the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC). JTDC still shares the revenue generated by the ropeway operation. He added there was a clear clause in the agreement that after the termination of the contract in 2019, the company would get two extensions of five years. And that is how the company was still operating the ropeway.
There appeared to be glaring lapses on the part of the state government, and it seems that the state tourism department did not bother to monitor the operation of the ropeway deliberately and handed it over to a private party. The operation of a ropeway in Trikut always overlooked the elements of risk. There was a provision declared by Damodar Infra that a rehearsal rescue operation had to be conducted every three months apart from the annual maintenance, daily maintenance and half-yearly maintenance. But these were flouted brazenly -- and could be the reason behind the tragedy that unfolded.
The rescue drills that were supposed to be conducted every three months were not done and it was essential as there has been no electricity in the Trikut sector for the last two years and the ropeway operation was handled through gensets. A thick dark cover during the night added to the woes of the tourists who were stuck in the cable cars for nearly 45 hours, without any net beneath the ropeway. When the district commissioner reportedly rushed to the accident spot after sunset, there was no chance of starting a rescue operation owing to the darkness.
The ropeway service started in 2007. Initially, it was handled by JTDC for two years. But since 2009, Damodar Infra has been conducting operations.
