Pakistan: KP govt to shut down makeshift chairlifts after Battagram incident, locals protest

Islamabad, Aug 24

After Battagram chairlift incident, in which at least eight people, including kids, were stranded for over 12 hours in mid-air in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the government has decided to take action and shut down all such makeshift chairlifts across the province.

Reliable sources in the KP government confirm that the decision to shut down all makeshift chairlifts has been taken with directives for all owners of such lifts to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the provincial government before operating them.

The decision comes after a makeshift chairlift in Pushto area of Battagram, used for daily commute of the locals from one mountain to the other, suffered a tragic mishap as one of the strings holding the lift broke, suspending at least eight people inside mid air, at least 800 feet above ground level.

The incident, which occurred at 8.30 a.m on Tuesday, prompted rescue operation by the Pakistan Army, whose helicopters did multiple failed attempts to reach closer to the suspended chairlift. After multiple attempts, at least one person was rescued by the Pakistan Army helicopter while the remaining seven persons were rescued by a heroic effort by a local Sahib Khan, who risked his life to stretch a rope from one ground point till the stranded lift and ensured successful rescue of all the seven persons.

The incident prompted provincial government authorities to take note and initiate a checking process of all such makeshift chair lifts across the province.

However, the locals, who refuse to shut down chair lift services, do not appreciate the decision.

"These makeshift chairlifts are the only source for us in our daily routine movement. Our children go to school daily and use these lifts to move from their homes to the other side of the mountain. Government wants to shut them down but has not alternate facility to provide us. We will not shut them down and will not allow any authority to impose their decision on us," said a local of Battagram.

"These lifts may be risky, but do we have any other option? We use them daily multiple times. We live in the mountains and these lifts are our mode of local transport. If they are shut down, then we will be left stranded in our villages," said another local who uses makeshift lifts for commute on daily basis.

There are hundreds of such makeshift lift arrangements done by locals to facilitate residents in their daily movements. Many of such makeshift lifts are operated with minimum safety precautions and put lives of young and old at risk on a daily basis.