Dharamsala- McLeodganj ropeway project makes no headway

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 8

The Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway project has failed to make any headway. The Himachal government had signed an agreement with Tata Company for execution of the project about two months ago.

The sources here said that the Tata Company has not yet submitted the survey report for the project with the district administration.

Deputy Commissioner Kangra Ritesh Chauhan said till date he had not received any communication from the Tata Company regarding the implementation of the Dharamsala-Mcleodganj ropeway project. However, USHA Company that has been awarded the project to bring up the Chamunda to Himani Chamunda ropeway has submitted its preliminary survey report, he said.

“I shall be holding a meeting with the TATA Company officials soon to press them for early execution of the project. Since both the said ropeways were investment projects worth about Rs 400 crores, they were not on the top priority of the government,” the Deputy Commissioner said.

The sources here said that after the company submitted its technical survey report for the implementation of the ropeway project from Dharamsala to McLoedganj, the district administration would have to start the process of acquisition of land. In the Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway project most of the land that would be acquired is the reserve forest land.

The district administration and the state forest department would have to move cases for the land sought by TATA Company after the survey to the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests for diversion of forest land to the construction of ropeway and parking places at takeoff and landing sites.

The Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway is necessary for decongesting traffic from tourist place and the local MLA and Minister for Town and Country Planning Sudhir Sharma was according top priority to it. However, despite that till date the even the land acquired for the project is yet to be identified.

Things were, however, moving ahead in the case of the Chamunda-Himani Chamunda ropeway project. The Deputy Commissioner said, “On the basis of the survey report submitted by the company that has been awarded the project, we shall be starting the process for acquisition of land for the project”.

The Himani-Chamunda ropeway project is expected to boost religious tourism in the area.

Initially, efforts were made to start Heli taxi service to the temple. However, due to heavy rains in the region viability of Heli taxi service could not be worked out and it could not be started.

Now the state government has proposed to bring up a ropeway to connect Himani and Chamunda. However, in this case also the forest land would have to be diverted for construction of ropeway.