Rajnandgaon, Maa Bamleshwari temple of Dongargarh located in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh is a major religious place, where devotees reach for darshan through ropeway. Recently, a serious ropeway accident took place here on Friday, in which BJP leader and former Home Minister Ramsevak Paikra, BJP State General Secretary Bharat Verma, Manoj Agarwal and Daya Singh were riding. All the leaders were injured in the accident, in which Bharat Verma suffered serious injuries. In the preliminary investigation, negligence in the maintenance of the ropeway has been considered the cause of the accident.

Background of the accident

BJP leaders Ramsevak Paikra, Bharat Verma, Manoj Agarwal and Daya Singh were injured when the trolley of the ropeway fell at Maa Bamleshwari temple in Dongargarh. Bharat Verma suffered serious injuries. After the accident, an FIR has been registered against the ropeway operating committee. The ropeway operating company attributed the accident to voltage fluctuations, while the electricity department has rejected these allegations and filed a separate complaint against the company. The district collector has constituted a three-member inquiry committee, which will submit the report in seven days.

Challenges of VIP movement and crowd management

Special arrangements are made during VIP movement at religious places, which affects the movement of common devotees. This can lead to discontent and chaos in the crowd, which can cause stampede. Therefore, there is a dire need for safety management and crowd control measures during VIP movement.

Previous accidents and lessons learned from them

There have been many accidents in ropeways and religious events in India before, such as:

• Deoghar, Jharkhand (April 2022): The trolley fell after the ropeway rope broke on Trikuta mountain, killing three people and leaving many people stranded in the air for 40 hours.

• Parasnath, Jharkhand (2009): The trolley got stuck due to a technical fault in the ropeway, causing passengers to wait for hours.

• Manali, Himachal Pradesh (2017): Tourists riding in the trolley got stuck due to a fault in the ropeway cable, who were later rescued safely.

• Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (January 2025): A stampede occurred due to the breaking of a barrier at Sangam Nose during the Maha Kumbh, in which many people were injured.

It is clear from these incidents that ignoring safety standards and lack of crowd management can lead to serious accidents.

Safety measures and suggestions

Learning from these accidents, the following measures should be adopted:

1. Regular inspection and maintenance: Regular inspection and maintenance of the ropeway should be ensured, so that technical flaws can be removed in time.

2. Appointment of trained staff: Appointment of trained and experienced staff is necessary for ropeway operation.

3. Emergency response system: There should be emergency plan and equipment for quick response in case of an accident.

4. Independent audit: Ropeway operations should be audited from time to time by independent agencies, so that fair evaluation can be done.

5. Public awareness: Passengers should be made aware of safety instructions during ropeway use.

6. Proper management of VIP movement: Special attention should be paid to the convenience and safety of common devotees during VIP movement at religious places, so that incidents like dissatisfaction and stampede do not occur in the crowd.

The Dongargarh ropeway accident is a serious warning, which shows how much negligence is being shown regarding the safety of facilities at religious places. Learning a lesson from this accident, transparency, accountability and adherence to safety standards should be made mandatory in ropeway operations, so that such accidents do not recur in future and the journey of devotees remains safe.