Say both parties reached ‘mutual understanding’
Munish Sood
MANDI: The breathtaking valleys of Manali, a Himachal Pradesh town in Kullu district, that are known for their scenic beauty and adrenaline-pumping adventure sports, are now turning into tragedy zones.
In the latest incident, a 12-year-old girl from Maharashtra’s Nagpur, Trisha Bijwe, suffered multiple fractures when she plunged from a zipline after the safety rope attached to her harness snapped mid-air. The chilling fall, captured on video, shows the child crashing onto boulders below.
Girl shifted to native place Nagpur for treatment
The family, shocked and traumatised, rushed her to Manali’s Mission Hospital from where she was shifted to PGIMER-Chandigarh due to the severity of her injuries. She was then shifted to a private hospital in Nagpur where she has undergone surgery.
When contacted, the local police washed their hands off the matter, stating that the girl’s family had “reached an understanding” with the zipline operators.
In reality, say locals, such “understandings” are often the result of pressure, hush money and fear of prolonged legal battles.
Manali Deputy Superintendent of Police KD Sharma said that no formal complaint was lodged. “Both parties reached a mutual understanding,” he said, refusing to elaborate on why no suo motu action was taken despite the serious nature of the incident.
Andhra tourist died in paragliding accident
This is not a solitary case. Earlier this year, Tadi Mahesh Reddy, a 32-year-old tourist from Andhra Pradesh, died during a paragliding takeoff in Raison, 20 km from Manali.
A sudden gust of wind caused the glider to nosedive. Despite emergency medical care, he succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Mandi.
In both cases, the authorities failed to fix accountability.
“Adventure tourism in Himachal Pradesh is a booming industry but one that runs with dangerously little oversight. From ziplining to paragliding and river rafting, dozens of operators function without standardized safety checks, certified instructors or regular equipment inspections, said a hotelier from Manali.
An official from the state tourism department said, “There is hardly any regular auditing. Many operators continue to use outdated or damaged gear. The police or the district administration rarely intervene unless there’s a death.”
