Caretaker PM directs authorities to shutdown unsafe chairlifts

ISLAMABAD: The Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar directed to immediate closure of chairlifts that are in poor condition and do not meet safety standards in the aftermath of the incident in Battagram, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to the details, the caretaker PM Anwarul Haq Kakar – while directing the immediate rescue of eight individuals trapped in a chairlift in Battagram – has instructed the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and relevant authorities to utilize all available resources.

Anwarul Haq Kakar has also directed for the assurance of tight safety measures on all chairlifts in mountainous areas. He has ordered the immediate closure of chairlifts that are in poor condition and do not meet safety standards.

Furthermore, Anwarul Haq Kakar has instructed for the implementation of assured safety measures on all chairlifts in mountainous areas.

He has also called for the immediate closure of chairlifts that do not meet the required safety and operational standards.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Army’s helicopter reached Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to rescue schoolchildren and teachers, who are stranded midair after cable of a chairlift passing over a river broke in the Allai Jhangray Pashto area broke.

A rescue operation would be carried out in a “very careful and deliberate manner” after making make an aerial reconnaissance, said a statement from the government.

As per details, the chairlift is stuck in Battagram’s Tehsil Alai as a result eight schoolchildren and their teacher are stranded in midair for several hours.

Earlier, Commissioner Hazara Sultan Aamir said he has contacted the KP govt and Pakistan Army for helicopter support to rescue the stranded schoolchildren and teacher.