Garhwal Post Bureau
Mussoorie, 15 Oct: An emergency scenario unfolded on Thursday morning at the Bhatta Village ropeway in Mussoorie when a technical glitch caused the ropeway to come to a halt, leaving two tourists stranded in mid-air. Upon receiving the alert, teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Mussoorie Police, Forest Department, Public Works Department, Health Department, and local administration swung into action. A joint rescue operation was conducted to safely extract the two tourists and provide them with first aid. This entire exercise was part of a mock drill organized by the administration.
The objective of the mock drill was to evaluate the preparedness of the relevant departments, their response time in reaching the site, the availability of rescue equipment, and the level of coordination among them. By simulating a technical failure at a tourist attraction like a ropeway, authorities assessed how relief and rescue teams operate upon receiving an alert and what strategies are employed to safely extract stranded individuals.
As part of the exercise, a scenario was simulated in which a technical fault occurred at the Bhatta Village ropeway, leaving two tourists trapped. Teams from the respective departments arrived at the scene, with personnel from the NDRF and SDRF—working alongside the Mussoorie Police and other agencies—executing a rescue operation. After a concerted effort, the two tourists were successfully brought to safety. Subsequently, a team from the Health Department provided first aid and practiced the procedure for transporting the individuals to the Mussoorie Sub-District Hospital for further medical care. Throughout the operation, various stages of the rescue process, inter-departmental coordination, and the logistics for transporting ‘injured’ persons to the hospital were evaluated.
A mock drill, conducted under the leadership of Naib Tehsildar Upendra Rana, assessed the time elapsed from the initial notification of a disaster to the arrival of rescue teams at the scene. Additionally, the drill evaluated how various departments fulfill their respective responsibilities during an emergency. Naib Tehsildar Upendra Rana explained that, following directives from higher authorities, mock drills are periodically organized in Mussoorie. The objective is to evaluate preparedness for disaster relief and rescue operations and to foster better coordination among the departments involved. He noted that such exercises provide departments with an opportunity to review their preparedness and address any identified shortcomings. He further mentioned that the safety systems of the ropeway in Mussoorie are also subject to regular inspections and checks, ensuring that any deficiencies can be promptly rectified. These mock drills help clarify the specific steps each department must take and how to execute rapid responses in the event of an actual emergency.
In Mussoorie, various tourism-related activities—including the ropeway—serve as major attractions for visitors. Consequently, robust safety arrangements and the readiness of rescue teams are crucial for handling technical malfunctions or other emergency situations. Through these mock drills, the administration aims to ensure that, in the event of an unforeseen incident, relief operations can be carried out swiftly, with the safety of tourists remaining the top priority. This exercise involved the collaborative participation of several departments to evaluate rescue procedures, medical assistance, and inter-departmental coordination. Key individuals present included Sunil Yadav (Deputy Commandant, NDRF), Dr. Javed Chaudhary (Sub-District Hospital, Mussoorie), Rajbir Singh Rana (SI, SDRF), Dheeraj Tadiyal (Fire In-charge, Mussoorie), as well as Abhay Singh, Sanjay Singh, Ganesh Bahadur, and Bishan Bhatt.
