Pavagadh ropeway tragedy: Inquiry committee members visit site, begin probe

Panchmahal Collector Ajay Dahiya has formed a committee to probe the death of six persons after a ropeway snapped and a goods trolley crashed  at Pavagadh, a Shaktipeeth in Panchmahal district of Gujarat.

Dahiya formed the probe panel that included senior technical officers to investigate the accident.

The committee comprises an executive engineer of Roads & Buildings (civil), executive engineer of Roads & Buildings (electrical), executive engineer (mechanical), and an electrical inspector. The committee has been tasked with investigating the incident.

The members, along with the administration and police, reached the site on Sunday to begin their investigation. The inquiry formally began in the presence of the district collector. 

Dahiya stated that the inquiry committee has his full cooperation. Parallel investigations by the police and FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) are also underway.

However, due to unfavourable weather conditions this weekend, another nearby passenger ropeway has been temporarily closed. Once the weather improves, sensor data will be retrieved, and that ropeway will also be restarted, said the collector.

He further added that, as per preliminary discussions between the technical committee and FSL, the accident occurred because the main cable of the ropeway between Tower-3 and Tower-4 snapped. As a result, the trolley, along with the guide cable, came crashing down and collided violently with Tower-1. The search operation to trace both broken ends of the cable is still ongoing. However, due to the rainy weather, the process is delayed. Once recovered, the cable ends will be sent to FSL for examination, which will reveal the root cause of the accident.

Once the investigation report is submitted and accountability is established, legal proceedings will be initiated against those found guilty. In the meantime, Pavagadh police have registered a case of accidental death as part of the preliminary process.

Ropeway was inspected six months ago

According to the district collector, the ropeway had undergone its third inspection six months ago, which lasted three days. A detailed technical examination, including inspection of the wire cables, was conducted at that time. The exact cause of the mishap will only be known after the inquiry committee’s final report.