Bijli Mahadev ropeway becomes flashpoint over faith & development in Kullu

In the highlands of Kullu district, the proposed Bijli Mahadev ropeway has become far more than a Rs 284-crore infrastructure project. The aerial passenger ropeway, planned to connect Pirdi/Mohal near the Beas river with the sacred Bijli Mahadev Temple atop Kharal hill, now sits at the intersection of faith, environmental protection, community rights and political rivalry. Proceedings before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) have added another layer of uncertainty to its future.

The controversy intensified last year after photographs and videos of felled deodar trees near Bijli Mahadev went viral, triggering public anger and renewed environmental concerns. Villagers, civic groups, local panchayats and traditional custodians have questioned the project’s progress, calling for wider consultation and a fresh public hearing before major construction resumes.

Residents of Kharal village have been particularly vocal in their opposition, arguing that local sentiment and the wishes of the presiding deity have not been adequately respected. For many residents, Bijli Mahadev is not simply a tourist destination but a sacred landscape governed by deeply rooted religious traditions.

The project has also taken on a political dimension. Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur has defended the ropeway, arguing that it could boost pilgrimage tourism, create employment and provide an economic impetus to the region. He has also questioned the BJP’s opposition, pointing out that the ropeway featured in the party’s messaging during the 2022 Assembly election campaign.

Thakur said the project was predominantly funded by the Centre, while the state government’s role was largely facilitative and administrative. On environmental concerns, he said the original alignment, which threatened more than 203 trees, was subsequently redesigned to reduce the impact to around 70 trees. He also said the developer had paid the required compensatory levies.

Environmentalists and the petitioner before the NGT, however, have raised serious concerns over the project’s ecological impact. Nachiketa Sharma has alleged that at least 77 deodar trees had already been felled out of the 203 trees sanctioned for removal across 3.1 hectares of forest land. His petition warns of potential ecological damage and slope destabilisation in the fragile Kharal Valley and around Bijli Mahadev hill.

The petition also questions whether adequate environmental studies were carried out before the necessary approvals were granted. These include carrying-capacity assessments, slope-stability studies and a cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment — measures that had previously been recommended by an NGT-appointed joint committee.

Sharma has further alleged violations of the Forest Rights Act, including inadequate consultation with affected communities and the absence of the required gram sabha resolutions.

Concerns have been heightened by reports of landslides and land subsidence at the project site during last year’s monsoon, raising questions about the vulnerability of Himalayan slopes to large-scale construction.

Amid the controversy, the Himachal Pradesh Government has clarified that the project is currently in abeyance. Rohit Thakur, Chief General Manager (CGM) of the Himachal Pradesh Ropeway and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC), said National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLLM) was the executing agency and that the state government reviews the project periodically.

“Because there were local protests going on there, currently, it has been kept in abeyance. It means, the project has been put on hold due to a force majeure condition,” the CGM said. He explained that force majeure refers to circumstances beyond the control of the contractor or agency that prevent work from proceeding.

Religious institutions and traditional custodians, meanwhile, remain divided. The temple caretakers’ Sangh did not participate in a protest, citing internal disagreements and what it described as the growing politicisation of the issue. Its president, Dot Ram Thakur, maintained that the deity’s will should guide any decision, arguing that politicisation was neither in the interest of faith nor of the people.

The NGT proceedings could prove crucial in determining the project’s future. The state government is required to submit its response to the tribunal’s queries on environmental issues.

For Kullu, the ropeway promises easier access, greater tourism potential and economic opportunity. For its opponents, however, it has become a test of whether development can proceed without compromising forests, fragile mountain slopes, community participation and sacred traditions.

The question is no longer simply whether a ropeway should reach Bijli Mahadev. It is whether a path to development can be found that respects both the mountain and the deity.