Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 22: Even as two persons were killed and four others were injured in accident at the Jammu cable car project on January 20, ahead of its scheduled inauguration by the Prime Minister in the first week of February, the state government is yet to place under suspension any of the concerned officials.
Though the government has ordered an inquiry, officials said the inquiry should have started with the immediate suspension of the concerned officials.
"What happens in such cases is that the government immediately places the concerned under suspension till completion of the inquiry, but the way this particular case is being handled hints at a hush up," said a senior official at the Civil Secretariat here on the condition of anonymity.
He said it was for the first time that the government looks "unduly sympathetic towards official machinery in such a case where precious human lives have been lost."
"Had it been Kashmir the people would have taken to streets against government reaction to the tragedy but things are taken forgranted in Jammu," the official added.
Pertinently accident took place on the fateful evening during a mock drill related to the rescue operation in case of any eventuality.
"During a rescue cabin test, a trolley carrying six workers got unbalanced in the middle of its journey towards Peer-Kho junction and fell down from the height of around 30 meters in the forest area," the sources said.
The cable car project is being built by the J&K Cable Car Corporation over the Tawi river to connect Bahu Fort circuit in Jammu, at a cost of Rs. 75 crore.
The Governor Satya Pal Malik has already expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the accident and described the incident as tragic and unfortunate.
Apart from announcing ex-gratia, the governor has ordered a magisterial inquiry to be conducted to know the causes of the incident, a spokesman had said. |
