The images were disturbing to put it
mildly. Five people lost their lives after two cable cars collided with each
other due to a technical glitch on the ropeway. Almost seventy people were
stuck following this accident in Jharkhand’s highest ropeway in Trikut,
Deoghar. This is distressing on so many levels. There appeared to be glaring
lapses on the part of the state government, and it seems that the state tourism
department did not bother to monitor the operation of the ropeway deliberately
and handed it over to a private party. The operation of a ropeway in Trikut
always overlooked the elements of risk. There was a provision declared by
Damodar Infra that a rehearsal rescue operation had to be conducted every three
months apart from the annual maintenance, daily maintenance and half-yearly
maintenance. But these were flouted brazenly and could be the reason behind the
tragedy that unfolded.
Now authorities in Goa have talked about
creating similar facilities in the state for the benefit of the scores of
tourists who visit the state from all over the country and parts of the world.
There are companies in the state providing thrills as diverse as bungee
jumping, kayaking, and paragliding to name a few. The question that needs to be
asked is very simple. What are the local operators and administrators doing to
safeguard the lives of tourists?
For the only bungee jumping operation located at Mayem lake. A
member of the marketing team, Charul said the team was cognizant of the
measures that needed to be taken to make it a safe and enjoyable experience.
She said the company reopened only after receiving approval on the 4 page
safety protocol system submitted to the Goa Ministry of Tourism. She said there
would be mandatory temperature and oximeter checks upon entry, and strict guest
and staff protocol overseen by an in house ex- army officer. There was a table
equipped with acrylic sheet separators to aid social distancing. Each and every
card machine, equipment and premises are sanitised after every use. There were
sticker markings for social distancing. She emphasized the entire operation was
overseen by ex army officers which ensured standards were maintained at all
costs.
Pedru Vaz owns a catamaran which provides tourists an
opportunity to see the dolphins that are present off the coast. He said “We
have a capacity of fifty five which we stick to. We give everyone a life
jacket. We don’t allow the consumption of alcohol on board. Yes, we play music
and some of them dance but we are strict”. When he asked what he was doing to
ensure the ship was seaworthy, he said there were two engines to ensure the
guests did not suffer due to the ship not being able to move due to a non
functioning engine. Maintenance he said was also undertaken at regular
intervals. He said like him who had one vessel there were a total of thirteen
vessels providing similar service.
However Poonam Ribo who runs a company that offers kayaking as
an experience said the problem was a bit more nuanced. She said a lot of guests
would say they were water phobic. She said “In many cases their first
experience in water would be with one person who was very comfortable in water
and five others who were not resulting in the banana overturning. Children
would be given adult life jackets and they would then slide out resulting in
chaos. In many cases the parent will exert pressure on the operator saying
their kid was eight and close to ten which is the permissible age for that
ride. Everyone has to stand up and be willing to follow the regulations. I
strongly believe we need to have rules that are tougher than the best
international rules because our people need to learn that to have a good time
it is important to follow the rules.”
However as always the very vocal Savio Messias had a different
viewpoint. He said “Over here, tenders are invited like it was for the proposed
cable car project between Campal and Verem. But the company that was selected
did not have the experience; it was selected because it was cheap. But more
serious is the problem of paying commissions once you get a government
contract. You have to pay serious money which then means there is an effect on
the quality of services that are provided. As long as kickbacks persist,
companies offering services will find ways to cut back on the quality of what
they offer which will then result in situations where people could get injured
or lives could be lost.”
Perhaps
an overall improvement in standards and expectations could help ensure, lives
are not lost while on holiday
