Who Is To Blame For Deoghar Ropeway Incident?

Deoghar ropeway incident reported three dead and several injuries when two cable cars collided with each other on Sunday in Jharkhand's Trikut Hills. The 40-hour-long rescue operation rescued 45 tourists who were stuck inside the cable cars since Sunday. Who is to blame for the Deoghar ropeway incident?

In the recent Deoghar ropeway incident, two cable cars collided and dangled mid-air with 48 tourists stuck inside the cable cars. The incident took place on Sunday. Since then, teams of the Indian Air Force, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been carrying out the rescue operation amid the dense forest of Jharkhand's Trikut Hills.

A total of 48 tourists were stuck inside the cable cars since Sunday and were provided food and water with the help of drones. Three people lost their lives during the rescue operation including a middle-aged man who lost his grip while being airlifted and the other was a woman who fell meters below on the ground and died while she was being taken for treatment. The remaining 45 tourists were rescued safely on Tuesday. According to the Director of Jharkhand Tourism Department, the disaster took place due to the displacement of the ropeway's axle.

When faced with criticism and allegations, the state government tried to push the blame onto the contracted who operated the system. The state government alleged that the operator, Damodar Ropeway and Infra Limited (DRIL), had its contract and license expired in 2019 after which it could not be renewed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the General Manager of the company Damodar Infra Mahesh Moity fired back at the government for their alleged negligence. Moity mentioned that the agreement with the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC) states that after the termination of the contract in 2019, the company will get two extensions of five years.

The Deoghar ropeway service was started in 2007. Initially, JTDC helmed the operation for two years and later it was handled by Damodar Infra since 2009.

Inefficiency of the State

It appears that the Deoghar ropeway incident mainly happened due to the ignorance of the risks of the ropeway by the state. A provision declared by Damodar Infra stated the rehearsal of a rescue operation every three months along with the annual maintenance, daily maintenance and half-yearly maintenance. Reportedly, these provisions seem to be overlooked by the authorities which may have resulted in the disastrous Deoghar ropeway incident as three people lost their lives.

BJP also took a dig at the state government's inefficiency and ignorance about the Deoghar ropeway incident. Jharkhand's Disaster Management Minister Banna Gupta and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren have ordered a probe into the matter. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey alleged that the higher officials had no idea about the disaster until he informed them.

He further mentioned that the Deoghar ropeway incident could have been prevented only if the government had been more active in looking after its maintenance. Dubey questioned, "If Damodar Infra was operating without fulfilling the conditions and without abiding by the SOPs and without government permission under the nose of the administration, who is to be blamed? It shows the complicity of the state government."

Flaws ignored during the 2009 probe

As per reports, in 2009, an investigation revealed that there was more vibration in the cable trolley of the ropeway. It also found that the vibration was greater on the upper part where there was a steep climb. This could lead to the trolley being disbalanced and the tension on the ropeway also increases at the maximum height. All of these finding were allegedly ignored by the officials.

The Jharkhand High Court has also ordered an investigation into the Deoghar ropeway incident and will hear the matter on April 26. The court has taken a Suo Moto cognizance stand on the matter.

Does this blame game help with the wounds of those who lost their loved ones in the disaster? Who will take the responsibility for the lives lost?