Ropeway projects of around 60 kms to be awarded in FY24: Govt

Parvatmala yojana: The ropeway projects of around 60 kms length are planned for award by FY24, the Ministry For Road, Transport and Highway release stated.  According to the release, a ropeway at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) of 3.85 km is under construction. 

“Bids for 9 projects of ~36 km length have been invited like Gaurikund - Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Govindghat – Ghangaria - Hemkund Sahib (Uttarakhand), Bijli Mahadev (Himachal Pradesh), Dhosi Hill (Haryana), Mahakal Temple in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), and Sangam (Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh),” the release added further. 

The release also informed that Detailed Feasibility Studies are underway for additional 05 projects of around 22 km length, such as Kamakhya Temple (Assam), Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), and Kathgodam - Nainital (Uttarakhand).

As per the release, ropeways have emerged as a convenient, safe and preferred mode of transportation to provide both, first as well as last mile connectivity to such hilly & inaccessible areas or to help de-congest urban congestion areas. 

In this backdrop, the Centre is giving a major push to ropeway development in the country. “The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRT&H) is responsible for the development of highways and regulating the road transport sector across the country. However, an amendment in the Government of India Rules 1961 in February 2021 allocated the development of ropeways in the country to MoRTH,” the release read. 

The release highlighted that Varanasi ropeway project of length 3.85 km, is currently under implementation. The ropeway, once operational, will improve convenience for 1 lakh passengers everyday, reducing the travel time between the two places from 45 mins at present to 16 mins.

Parvatmala Yojana or National Ropeway Development Programme:

Union Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting Union Budget for 2022-23, announced the National Ropeways Development Programme – “Parvatmala” – which will be taken up on PPP mode.  It will be a preferred, ecologically sustainable alternative in place of conventional roads in difficult hilly areas.  The idea is to improve connectivity and convenience for commuters, besides promoting tourism. This may also cover congested urban areas, where conventional mass transit systems are not feasible.