Jharkhand ropeway accident: The blame game takes center stage as the state government shifts blame

*Paromita Das

In  Deogarh ropeway accident, the blame game takes center stage as the state government shifts blame.

Three people were killed and about 70 others were left dangling in mid-air for nearly three days after cable cars on the ropeway in Jharkhand’s Deogarh collided on Sunday (April 10).

The stranded individuals were rescued after a daring operation involving the Army, IAF, ITBP, NDRF, and other forces.

The Jharkhand High Court, taking suo motu cognizance of the tragedy, has ordered the state government to submit a report by April 25. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on the other hand, has stated that a high-level investigation into the incident will be launched. Soren has been chastised by the opposition for his handling of the Deogarh accident, which made national and international headlines.

But who is to blame for the mishap? Who will accept responsibility for the three deaths and the lives of dozens more? No one, most likely!

The incident provided ample fodder for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in opposition in Jharkhand, to highlight the JMM-Congress government’s inefficiency. Nishikant Dubey, a BJP Godda MP who camped out at the accident site for two days, claimed that higher officials, including the state chief secretary, had no idea what happened in Deogarh’s Trikut hills even after three hours.
The state tourism development corporation described the ropeway accident as “rare and unfortunate,” adding that the company hired to operate the system, Damodar Ropeway and Infra Limited (DRIL), had a negligible record of slip-ups or lapses, and the contract was awarded to them after a performance evaluation.

According to Alok Prasad, general manager of the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC), the state maintained the ropeway, built by DRIL in 2007 over the Tirkut hills, for two years before handing over operations to the company.

A man falls from a helicopter during a ropeway rescue operation in Jharkhand, bringing the death toll to two.

“It was India’s only company with a negligible track record of unfavourable incidents. DRIL operates ropeways in approximately 40 locations throughout India “he stated. “Because it took time to obtain a technical clearance, the Tirkut hill ropeway did not begin operations until 2009. The JTDC operated the ropeway for two years before handing it over to DRIL “according to Prasad. Locals in Deogarh claimed that the accident could have been caused by a lack of maintenance and overloading of the cable cars.

In the incident, three people were killed and approximately 70 others were left dangling in mid-air.

What about a backup/recovery plan?

When asked if there was a backup plan in place in case of a mishap, Prasad replied, “If trolleys become stuck, a service rope is available to rescue passengers. However, the service rope could not be used in this incident.” A service rope is an extra cord that is used for maintenance work.
It is also used to rescue passengers using a harness if a cable car becomes stuck in between. The operational rope is what is used to transport the cable cars.

Jharkhand government announces Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to victim’s kin following the Deoghar ropeway accident.

According to Prasad, the service rope could not be used in this case because the operational rope sagged due to the weight of the stranded cable cars, increasing the gap between the two. The Tirkut ropeway, near Baba Baidyanath temple, is India’s highest vertical ropeway, according to the Jharkhand Tourism department. It is approximately 766 meters long.