Complete Shimla ropeway project in five years: Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri

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Shimla, December 19

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today directed officials concerned to complete the Shimla ropeway project in the next five years.

To cost Rs 1,546 crore

• The project will have a network of 14.69 km ropeways connecting 15 stations at a cost of Rs 1,546.40 crore
• To considerably reduce travel distance as one km of ropeway is equivalent to five to six km of road distance in a hilly terrain
• To provide connectivity to 329 unconnected habitations and carriage of agriculture and horticulture produce

He said, “The project for Shimla will have a network of 14.69 km ropeways connecting 15 stations with a project cost of Rs 1,546.40 crore. This urban ropeway project will be second of its kind in the world and first in India.” He added that the Congress government had plans to develop similar urban ropeway projects in Dharamsala and Manali towns.

He said that Himachal would go in for major ropeways projects as this was an eco-friendly, clean and green mode of transport, which would help enhance tourism potential.

“Ropeways can help in decongesting cities, providing connectivity to left out unconnected habitations, besides tourism promotion,” he said while chairing a meeting of Ropeways and Rapid Transport Development Corporation HP Limited (RTDC) here.

He also directed officers to explore the possibilities of developing ropeways for Mata Chintpurni and Baba Balak Nath ji temples. He directed the RTDC to make efforts to develop at least one ropeway in every district in the next five years for providing connectivity, employment opportunities as well as enhancing tourism potential.

He said ropeways were an eco-friendly mode of transport, which reduces travel distance sufficiently as in a hilly terrain one km of ropeway was equivalent to five to 6 km of road distance. He directed the RTDC to complete the project in Shimla in the next five years.

Agnihotri directed the RTDC to bring NABARD guidelines for the development of ropeways in the state under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund in the Cabinet meeting for its approval so that the construction of composite ropeways for providing connectivity to 329 unconnected habitations (250 plus population) as well as carriage of agriculture and horticulture produce could be taken up.