Cabinet: Ropeway will be built from Sonprayag to Kedarnath, 9 hour journey in just 36 minutes; Cabinet approves
New Delhi| The Union Cabinet has approved the 12.9 km long ropeway project from Sonprayag to Kedarnath in Uttarakhand under the Range Project of the National Ropeway Development Programme. Apart from this, a 12.4 km long ropeway will also be built between Govindghat to Hemkund Sahibji. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave this information on Wednesday. Informing the decision, the minister said, “The major advantage of this project will be that the journey which currently takes 8-9 hours will be reduced to 36 minutes after it is made…It will have a seating capacity of 36 people.”
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Kedarnath Ropeway project. This ropeway project will cost around Rs 4,081 crore. This ropeway will be developed on Design, Construction, Finance, Operation and Transfer (DBFOT) mode.
The ropeway is planned to be developed in a public-private partnership and is based on the most advanced tri-cable detachable gondola (3 S) technology. Which will have a design capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) and will carry 18,000 passengers per day. The ropeway project will create ample employment opportunities during construction and operation as well as throughout the year in allied tourism industries like Hospitality, Travel, Food and Beverage (F&B) and Tourism.
The development of the ropeway project is an important step towards promoting balanced socio-economic development, enhancing last mile connectivity in hilly areas and promoting rapid economic growth. The journey to Kedarnath Temple is a challenging climb of 16 kilometres from Gaurikund and is currently covered on foot or by pony, palanquin and helicopter. Kedarnath is one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas situated at an altitude of 3,583 metres (11968 ft) in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state. The temple is open to pilgrims for about 6 to 7 months a year from Akshaya Tritiya (April – May) to Diwali (October – November) and is visited by about 2 million pilgrims annually in this season.
Ropeway will also be built from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahibji
The Union Minister said that 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 timeline for construction of these two ambitious projects has been set at four to six years. Vaishnav informed that the 12.4 km long ropeway project from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahibji will also be developed on DBFOT format, with a total cost of Rs 2,730.13 crore.
Currently the journey to Hemkund Sahibji is a challenging climb of 21 km from Govindghat and is completed on foot or by ponies or palanquins. The proposed ropeway has been planned to facilitate pilgrims visiting Hemkund Sahibji and tourists visiting the Valley of Flowers, and will ensure all-weather connectivity between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib.
