Union Home Ministry has issued an advisory in the wake of a ropeway accident that happened in Deoghar district of Jharkhand. The Ministry has stressed on the need to have a detailed Standard Operating Procedure and a contingency plan on ropeway operations to prevent occurance of any such incident in the future.
In a letter written to Chief Secretaries of all States, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said, operation and maintenance of ropeway projects need to be scrupulously adhered to. He said, the State government must engage an experienced and qualified firm for carrying out safety audits of each ropeway project. He further said, a maintenance manual must be prepared for each ropeway project. In addition to the maintenance manual, there should be a maintenance programme so that the safety standards conform to good industry practices.
Union Home Secretary has urged the States to take a review of the situation in respect of all the ropeway projects and ensure that Standard Operating Procedures, contingency plans for operation and maintenance of ropeways and system of safety audits are in place. He stressed that mock drills or mock exercises for handling contingency situations involving ropeways are periodically conducted. He appreciated the valiant efforts made by Indian Air Force, NDRF, Indian Army, ITBP and local administration for rescue of trapped and stranded persons.
