India Forms Ropeway Safety Panel

New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) The transport ministry has formed an empowered committee to establish technical and safety standards and certification systems for ropeways.

The ministry has set up an Empowered Committee for Ropeways Technical Evaluation, Certification and Safety (EC-Rope-TECS) to recognise technical codes and standards suited to national requirements, and certification systems for ropeways and its components.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in an office memorandum, said the Director General (Road Development & Special Secretary) will be the Chairman of EC-Rope-TECS, which will also include six members.

According to the memorandum, considering the rapidly expanding Ropeways sector as a means of transportation and mobility and the need to coordinate the growth of Ropeways Systems, there is a need to establish an institutional structure for the setting and coordination of technical standards, certifications, processes, audit and coordination among state and Union Territory governments with a primary focus on public safety.

"Recognising this need, the MoRTH hereby establishes the Empowered Committee for Ropeways Technical Evaluation, Certification and Safety (EC-Rope-TECS) which shall be the empowered Committee to establish and recognise technical codes and standards suited to national requirements, certification systems for Ropeways and its components, commissioning requirements, safety standards, periodic inspections and audits besides technical investigations in case of an incident affecting public safety in the construction, operations or maintenance of Ropeways Systems," it said.

The memorandum also said Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) is hereby designated ex-officio as the Commissioner of Ropeways Systems Safety (CRSS) for the safety audit of Ropeways to be established by or on behalf of or with the partnership of the Central Government or any Central Public Sector Enterprise.