D’sala-McLeodganj ropeway to be ready by June

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 24

The government has invited investment and promised to make conditions ideal for investors. However, the Dharamsala- McLeodganj ropeway, one of the key projects of the government, is facing official apathy.

The project being set up by the Tatas is going to be ready by June next year. However, officials of the company are maintaining that despite making the ropeway operational, they may not be able to operate it.

The ropeway will start from Dharamsala bus stand. The government had promised to construct a parking lot near the take-off point so that people could park their vehicles and take the ropeway to McLeodganj. The take-off point was in such a location that if parking was not provided, the people would face difficulties.

Officials of the company said as per their agreement, the parking in Dharamsala was to be constructed under the Smart City project. “We have taken up the matter with the Chief Secretary,” the officials said.

However, sources said Smart City officials were yet to earmark land for the parking area near the ropeway. The company had earlier tried to sell its stake and walk out of the project. However, after the financial institutions did not allow the deal, it was now completing the project. Sources said the firm wanted to walk out of project due to delay. The firm also doubted the viability of the project.

The project was allotted by the previous Congress government to Dharamsala Ropeway Company in which Tata Reality and Infrastructure Ltd (TRIL) has 76 per cent stake. Earlier, the project was to be implemented by June 2019. However, now it has been delayed.

The sources said the firm had bagged two ropeway projects. It were the Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway that involved an investment of Rs 145 crore and Rohtang ropeway (Rs 585 crore). Though the work on the Dharamsala ropeway started last year, the permission for the Rohtang ropeway is yet to be received.

A senior official of TRIL said with the permission of the Rohtang ropeway not coming and the Dharamsala ropeway was too small for the firm to run. The operating cost of the Dharamsala ropeway would would make it unviable for the company, he said.

The sources also said due to its overhead costs, TRIL was suffering a loss of about Rs 40 lakh per month due to delay in the construction of the project.

Firm bagged two projects

• The government had promised to construct a parking near the take-off site but the area is yet to be earmarked

• The take-off point is in such a location that if parking is not provided, the people will face difficulties

• The project was allotted by the previous Congress government to Dharamsala Ropeway Company in which Tata Reality and Infrastructure Ltd has 76 per cent stake. The project was earlier to be implemented by June 2019. However, now it has been delayed

• The sources said the firm had bagged two ropeway projects. These were the Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway that involved an investment of Rs 145 crore and Rohtang ropeway (Rs 585 crore)