RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, April 13: Taking note of the ropeway tragedy at Trikut Hills in Deoghar on April 10, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla issued an advisory to chief secretaries of all the states, directing them to take all measures to prevent such accidents in future in any other parts of the country.
The advisory directs for scrupulous adherence to BIS standards for operation and maintenance of ropeway projects, taking necessary guidance in this regard from the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), engagement of an experienced and qualified firm or organisation for carrying out a safety audit of each ropeway project and proper maintenance of record of all the activities undertaken as part of the maintenance programme by the entity operating the ropeway.
The advisory directs all the CSs to take a review of the situation in respect of all the ropeway projects in their states and ensure that SOPs, contingency Plans for operation and maintenance of ropeway, and system of safety audits are in place.
The union home secretary also asked to ensure that mock drills and mock exercises for handling contingency situations involving ropeways are periodically conducted.
The advisory also directs for designating a senior officer of appropriate level to regularly review the preparedness measures in respect of ropeway operations as per the SOPs and contingency plan.
