Poor safety, preparedness in focus as two-day ordeal ends
RANCHI: A 55-year-old woman died on Tuesday while being rescued by a helicopter from a ropeway car stranded mid-air in Jharkhand’s Deoghar since Sunday -- the second person to fall to their death during a rescue operation whose shocking visuals showed how the ordeal of the passengers and their families was exacerbated over the past two days.
In all, three people died since the 766-metre cableway connecting to a pilgrimage site on Trikut hills developed a snag on Sunday, leading to a collision between two cars that claimed one life. A second person died on Monday when he fell just moments before it seemed he would be pulled into the helicopter as he managed to cling on to a rope while being winched up.
The operation eventually managed to bring 60 people to safety on Tuesday, but the incident has triggered questions over protocols on the maintenance of infrastructure, and of the preparedness to deal with such emergencies as anger mounted after the deaths were caught on camera. “Today we rescued 14 persons, but unfortunately one woman died of injuries as she fell down while being airlifted,” Deoghar deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said at 1.30pm, announcing the end of almost 32-hour operation.
The Jharkhand high court stepped in, taking up the matter for an investigation on its own (suo motu) after reports suggested there were unheeded warnings of an accident. “Let an affidavit to that extent be filed on behalf of the State, both for covering the reasons for this mishap as well as the rescue operation and the enquiry be conducted,” the bench ordered, listing the matter for April 25.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren later said a highlevel inquiry was underway and the families of those who died will be paid a compensation of ₹5 lakh. The Union home ministry issued an advisory to all states asking them to carry out a safety audit of cableways in their region.
Officials said the lease for the firm contracted to run the operations ended months prior to the lockdown in 2020. “The facility was non-functional for two years. The firm resumed its operation on March 7 this year. A central agency has the mandate of doing technical and safety audits had given its clearance on March 22 this year,” said an official.
The last of the survivors included Chhatu Saw, the husband of Sobha Devi who was being winched up to an IAF helicopter when she suddenly fell to the forested land. On Monday, Rakesh Mandal fell to his death moments after it seemed he would be pulled into one of the helicopters.