By Our Staff Reporter
Mussoorie, 12 May: A half-yearly joint exercise is being organised by the National Disaster Management Authority for all the ropeway projects operated in the country. In this context, the SDRF, Mussoorie Police and Indo-Tibetan Border were designated by the National Disaster Management Authority to check out the ropeway in Mussoorie.
A joint mock drill was conducted with the personnel and officers of the Police, Fire Service and various other departments. During the mock drill, due to a sudden release of the rope, an SDRF official taking part in the rescue fell from the ropeway and received minor injuries.
In the mock drill, the cable car ropeway operated by Mussoorie Ropeway got stuck on the way to Gun Hill after ‘the wire broke, with five tourists left stranded’. Mussoorie Police was informed about the incident by the Ropeway operator, after which the Disaster Management Department deployed the various teams for the rescue. These reached the spot and, taking quick action, the National Disaster Management Authority, the rescue operation was conducted. Due to the steep hill, a lot of difficulty was faced in the rescue operation. The SDRF, NDRF and ITBP officials and personnel gave a demonstration of their training and rescued the 5 ‘tourists’ trapped in the ropeway. Seeing the ‘serious condition of one tourist’, he was sent to the sub-district hospital via 108 Ambulance.
NDRF Deputy Commandant Amit Pathak said that the Director General of NDRF has instructed all the battalions of NDRF to inspect the car cable ropeways across the country and prepare a report regarding the security arrangements. He reminded that there have been 3 cable car accidents in Deoghar, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir, leading to loss of life. Through this, all the departments are being prepared for the rescue operation. He said that a two-structure blueprint would be prepared and handed over to the higher authorities so that the security arrangements in the ropeway could also be improved.
Mussoorie Police Incharge Shankar Singh Bisht claimed that the operation was successfully completed with the cooperation of all the departments.
Inspector Sandeep Tiwari of the Indian Tibetan Border Police Force asserted the force is always ready for disaster relief and rescue.
Present on the occasion were Naib Tehsildar Vinod Tiwari, AE, Garhwal Jal Sansthan, TS Rawat, EO Rajesh Naithani, SSI Guman Singh Bist, AE, Jal Nigam, Man Singh Rawat, Sanitary Inspector Kiran Rana, Virender Bist, Dr Abhishek and many others.