Cable car saga leaves many questions unanswered

BATTAGRAM: The dramatic case of the stuck cable car in the Bala area of Alai district is over with all the trapped children reunited with their families. The near-miss incident has however left many questions in its wake.

The delay added to the agony of the parents who had to see their children stare death in the face with their cable car dangling dangerously around 1,000 to 12,00 feet above the ground.

This is not all. Infrastructure issues are tragically bad in the area, the worst being that the area’s telephone tower is faulty due to which nobody can communicate before 9am.

The area where this accident took place was a 4-6-hour drive from the district headquarters and the road was broken and almost impassable. Given these factors, the district administration and rescue department decided to request the provincial government for a helicopter, which consumed another six more hours.

The residents of the Alai district have questioned the provincial government’s inability to build roads, forcing them to give in to the exploitation of cable-car operators at different points. According to them, hundreds of people have died so far in chairlift and cable-car accidents.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested two persons on charges of negligence in connection with the cable car incident; an FIR was registered against Gul Zarin, the owner, and Ejaz, the operator of the cable car in Allai Tehsil. According to the police, a case has been registered against the owner and operator for lack of official permit to operate the cable car, which has also been seized.

AFP adds: Three of the rescued teenage boys walked to school on Wednesday to collect their exam results. Walking two hours to school along a hilly path, they found out they had passed their exams, before they sought further medical check-ups.

Helicopters flew repeated sorties over the cable car throughout the afternoon as they planned the rescue mission. At one point an airman was lowered to deliver food and water, but the air pressure from the helicopter caused him to collide with a rope holding the cable car, causing it to twist and shake.

APP adds: Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Wednesday that by carrying out a successful operation to rescue eight passengers trapped in the cable car, the heroes of the country rose to the challenge. “In the heart of Battagram, our heroes rose to the challenge,” the prime minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He said the military, administration and local champions, hand in hand, defied danger to write a new chapter of valour. “Our nation’s spirit shines brightest today. Proud of our heroes,” the prime minister remarked.