The MVDA handed the Barsana ropeway at the Radha Rani Temple to Kolkata-based Damodar Ropeways Infra Ltd (DRIL), a company that was recently blacklisted by the state of Jharkhand following a fatal cable car crash
A decision by the Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) to award the operation of a key pilgrimage ropeway to a blacklisted company has sparked outrage after an accident at the site narrowly avoided mass casualties.
The MVDA handed the Barsana ropeway at the Radha Rani Temple to Kolkata-based Damodar Ropeways Infra Ltd (DRIL), a company that was recently blacklisted by the state of Jharkhand following a fatal cable car crash.
The controversy was ignited after three trolleys on the Barsana ropeway malfunctioned on March 19, slamming into the base station. All 18 devotees on board were rescued safely, but the incident has shattered public confidence and highlighted the MVDA’s highly questioned contracting decision.
Barsana Mishap Follows Pattern of Failures
The Barsana ropeway, which was only launched in August 2024 as a crucial service for pilgrims climbing the steep Brahmanchal Hill, saw its reputation collapse overnight following the crash. Police in Mathura registered a case against the previous operator, Shri Radha Rani Ropeways Private Limited, but the MVDA has yet to publicly explain why it chose to replace it with DRIL.
DRIL’s operational record reveals a consistent pattern of negligence and major disasters across India:
Jharkhand (Deoghar, 2022): A car on the Trikut Hills ropeway plunged after the shaft broke, killing three people. Jharkhand blacklisted DRIL for five years in June 2024 and levied a fine of RS 9.11 crore.
Chhattisgarh (Dongargarh, 2025): A trolley carrying six pilgrims broke down mid-air at Maa Bamleshwari Temple, leaving them hanging for hours before a risky rescue.
Jammu & Kashmir (2019): Two workers were killed and four injured when a cable car crashed during a rescue drill before the inauguration of a Jammu ropeway.
Other serious faults and temporary closures linked to DRIL projects have occurred in Madhya Pradesh (Dewas and Maihar) and Uttarakhand (Surkanda Devi), where the administration ultimately cancelled the company’s tender due to safety failures.
MVDA Remains Silent on Selection Process
Following the Barsana accident, MVDA officials stated that the ropeway would only reopen once the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee certifies it safe.
However, the authority has avoided the central question raised by the incident: why the Barsana contract was awarded to a firm blacklisted in one state and repeatedly linked to failures, poor execution, and substandard materials across multiple sites, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
The crash has reignited concerns that safety is being sacrificed in India’s pilgrimage zones, with experts warning that authorities frequently rush contracts without properly scrutinising a company’s past performance, thereby putting millions of devotees at heightened risk.
