The government on Wednesday approved two ropeway projects in Uttarakhand. These include Sonprayag to Kedarnath (12.9 km) and Govindghat to Hemkund Sahibji (12.4 km) ropeway projects, which will cost a total of Rs 6,811 crore.
The deadline for construction of these two ambitious projects has been set four to six years.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave information about the decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
The 12.9 km long rope from Sonprayag to Kedarnath will be constructed on design, construction, finance, operation and transfer (DBFOT) format, which will cost Rs 4,081.28 crore.
The ropeway is planned to develop in public-private partnership and will be based on the most advanced ‘Tri-Cable Deteachable Gondola’ (3S) technology, under which 1,800 passengers will be able to travel every hour. 18,000 passengers will be able to travel daily through ropeway.
Vaishnav said that the 12.4 km long ropeway project from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahibji will also be developed on DBFOT format, which will cost Rs 2,730.13 crore.
Currently Hemkund Sahibji’s journey is a challenging climb of 21 km from Govindghat and is completed by foot or ponies or palanquins. The proposed ropeway is planned to facilitate pilgrims visiting Hemkund Sahibji and tourists visiting the Valley of Flowers, and it will ensure connectivity between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib Ji in all seasons.
The journey up to Kedarnath Temple is a challenging climb of 16 km from Gaurikund and is currently completed by foot or pony, palanquins or helicopters. The proposed ropeway aims to facilitate the devotees coming to the temple and to ensure connectivity in all seasons between Sonprayag and Kedarnath.
