The trapping of eight children in Alai tehsil of KP’s Battagram district in a cable car, after one of its guide-wires snapped, caused a wave of horror throughout the nation on Wednesday, and it remained glued to TV screens which carried live minute-by-minute coverage until the rescue took place by helicopter, with the men of the Special Services Group, carrying out the rescue. They were backed by the locals, who were helpful in the entire process. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar was prompt in having the children and the rescuers come to the capital where a small awards ceremony was held. While the rescuers have every right to congratulate themselves, the taxpayer has a right to ask where such organisations as the National Disaster Management Authority or the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority were as this tragedy unfolded. They were not part of the rescue effort, even though they should have been in its forefront. These two organizations have to think beyond distributing dry rations to flood affectees.
Part of the problem seems to be the hostility of the terrain. The kids were not in the cable car for their health. They were going to school. It is all very well to suggest the building of a bridge, but that might just be prohibitively expensive, but actually impossible for engineering reasons. The cable car remains the best option for children seeking an education. The basic reaction of the local administration has been to arrest the owner and operator, which does not suggest a problem-solving approach, just an overwhelming desire to show superiors that they are doing something about the problem.
True, there are safety issues involved, and there has been neglect and a lack of inspection. There are certain recreational cable cars and chair lifts as well, which need to be checked. As they are located in both KP and Punjab, the caretaker government should assign responsibility to a federal organization to ensure that the provincial departments responsible do their jobs properly. After all, the entire should remember that the gallant officers and men of the SSG have other things to do than rescue people from the result of the folly of cable car and chair lift operators.
