In Himachal Pradesh’s Parwanoo, the lives of 11 tourists traveling in a cable car were put in danger on Monday when the trolley got stuck in the middle of the road. Thankfully everyone was saved in the High-Wire Rescue Act. They were lowered onto a hill using a harness. While it is a relief, that such an incident should happen at all, it is a matter of grave concern, especially since memories of a similar trolley failure in Jharkhand as recently as April, which claimed three lives. Gone, it hasn’t faded yet. Even the Timber Trail Resort, where Monday’s incident took place, witnessed a similar incident in 1992, when one lost his life.
Ropeway trolleys are still prone to such hazards, a sign of loose safety practices. Poor adherence to maintenance protocols has long characterized the operation of such mechanical gigs in the country. In general, it is time to take such diversified risks more seriously and improve the contingency outlook. Security checks should be strictly enforced. The country also needs a nationwide emergency response facility like America’s famous “Call 911” service, for which cadres can be drawn from commando units of the armed forces. Our trolley problem needs to be dealt with.