Palampur ropeway project delayed as DPR not submitted to NHAI
Ravinder Sood
Palampur, November 9
The Palampur ropeway project to be built at a cost of Rs 605 crore has been hanging fire as the state government was still to submit a fresh detailed project report (DPR) to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for financial approval.
Will take tourists to Dhauladhar peaks
- The 13.5-km ropeway will connect Palampur to the Chunja glacier in the Dhauladhars at 12,000 ft
- It will take 31 minutes for tourists from Palampur to reach snow-covered peaks of the Dhauladhars
- The Rs 605-crore project is to be executed on the pattern of the Jung Frog (Top of Europe) ropeway project of Switzerland, which carries tourists to high mountains of Europe in around half an hour
The NHAI had shown interest in the project last year. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was also keen on its early completion and hence a special team of experts was constituted in April this year for the purpose. However, no headway was made as the NHAI was yet to receive the final project report.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had conveyed to the state government in December last year that the NHAI had approved the 13.5-km glacier ropeway project, which was pending since 1990. However, no work was undertaken on the project in the absence of the DPR.
Shanta Kumar, a former Chief Minister, had initiated the project. He said that he expected the Chief Minister to take necessary steps for the early compilation of the DPR. He added that because of red tape and the lackadaisical attitude of successive governments, the project failed to take off.
