In Bihar, newly built ropeway at Rohtasgarh Fort collapses during trial

Rohtasgarh Fort ropeway: The ropeway is being built by the state-owned Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) at an estimated cost of ₹13 crore

SASARAM: A newly constructed ropeway at western Bihar’s Rohtasgarh Fort collapsed during a trial run on Friday ahead of its formal inauguration on January 1, officials said.

The incident occurred when the ropeway from Rohtas block to Rohtasgarh Fort and Rohiteshwar Dham gave way along with an attached tower.

Officials said one of the ropeway pillars failed to bear the load and collapsed along with the trolley. The cable also snapped and fell to the ground. There were no casualties in the incident.

The ropeway is being built by the state-owned Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) at an estimated cost of ₹13 crore to facilitate the devotees of Chaurasan Temple and ease the commute of tourists to Rohtasgarh Fort.

BRPNNL chairman Chandrashekhar Singh said he had constituted a high-level committee headed by the managing director to investigate the incident and submit its report within 24 hours.

Singh said the Indian Institute of Technology (Patna) has also been requested conduct a design audit.

Singh also underlined that the incident would not lead to a financial liability for the firm and the contractor was obliged to take care of any damage caused during the trial run and testing under the contract.

Assistant engineer Kaushalendra said a team from Kolkata was coming to join the probe.

Local legislator Murari Prasad Gautam promptly sent a letter to the state tourism department seeking a thorough investigation into the incident and sought strict action against those responsible.

Congress state president Rajesh Ram said the incident was the result of corruption within the Bihar government. “Questions were raised about quality during construction itself but the NDA government, lured by commissions, ignored it”, Ram said and demanded a high-level probe and blacklisting of the construction company.