PESHAWAR: Following the recent Battagram chairlift incident, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has issued comprehensive instructions for the inspection and enhancement of safety measures for cable cars throughout the province.
Eight people, including schoolchildren who got trapped in a disabled cable car dangling high above a valley in Pakistan’s Battagram, returned safely to the ground Tuesday after military commandos staged a daring and delicate rescue using helicopters and a makeshift chairlift.
Pakistan Army Aviation officers, Special Service Group (SSG) commandos and locals successfully pulled out all school students and teacher trapped in the chairlift in Battagram.
The caretaker chief minister has directed deputy commissioners from all districts to undertake thorough inspections of local chairlifts. The chairlifts include operating in commercial and residential areas, as well as those in entertainment venues.
Moreover, the provincial government has emphasized the immediate inspection of chairlifts situated at entertainment establishments, ensuring that safety protocols are rigorously upheld.
The directive also extends to evaluating the design, capacity, and safety features of all chairlifts within the province.
To regulate the operation of chairlifts effectively, the provincial government has mandated that obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the district administration is now obligatory.
The provincial government has set a deadline for the submission of a comprehensive report on chairlifts across the province.
All relevant data and findings are required to be compiled and submitted to the government within the span of a week, the order read.
Battagram incident
The daylong ordeal began when six children got into the gondola for a trip to school. Two adults were with them. But then a cable snapped, bringing the car to a halt and trapping the group in midair. They were helpless, suspended hundreds of meters (feet) above a remote, mountainous landscape.
Known by locals as “Dolly”, the cable car links the village of Jangri to Batangi, where the school is located.
After rescuing two children, the air rescue operation was suspended due to windy weather and darkness. The children were rescued after the fourth attempt to airlift them. Pakistan Army also brought a local cable crossing expert from the Northern areas. The cable crossing expert will also assist the rescuers.
