Palampur-Chunja glacier ropeway stuck in red tape for 8 years

Though the Central government has approved the Palampur-Thathri-Chunja Glacier Ropeway Project, work on the ground has yet to begin. Despite a memorandum of understanding signed between Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC) HP Limited and National Highways Logistic Management Limited (NHLML), the project has been hanging fire for the past eight years.

In December 2022, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari cleared the 13.5-km ropeway at a revised cost of Rs 605 crore. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had also shown keen interest, constituting an expert team in April 2023 and assuring the Centre of full cooperation, including swift land acquisition.

Former CM Shanta Kumar, who has pursued the project since 1990, blamed bureaucratic hurdles for the delay but expressed hope that the current government would complete it, thereby boosting tourism and realising Sukhu’s vision of making Kangra the tourism capital of the state.

Official sources revealed that while 13 ropeway projects have been proposed across Himachal — six of them nearing completion — the Palampur ropeway has yet to secure funding from either the NHAI or NABARD. Once completed, it will connect Palampur with the 12,000-ft high Chunja glacier in the Dhauladhars, enabling tourists to reach snow-covered peaks within just 31 minutes.