Govt clears Kedarnath ropeway project, to cut travel time to 36 minutes
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Kedarnath ropeway project. The ropeway, with a total length of 12.9 km, will come up with a monetary outlay of about Rs 4,081 crore.
With this, one side travel time from Sonprayag to Kedarnath shrine is all set to reduce to 36 minutes instead of the usual 8 to 9 hours.
It will ferry 1,800 passengers per hour per direction, which could ferry 18,000 passengers per day.
The project, once complete, will cut travel time to Kedarnath and serve as a major benefit to pilgrims.
The project approval came on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Uttarakhand visit on Thursday.
“This will be an environmental friendly, sustainable and fast connectivity mode. It will also generate substantial employment,” said Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, while announcing the approval.
The 12.4 km ropeway project from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand was also approved by the Cabinet at a cost of Rs 2,730 crore.
It will ferry 1,100 passengers per hour in one direction and 11,000 daily. Both projects will serve to boost religious tourism, a major initiative of the BJP-led NDA, as seen in the successful implementation of Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, where 66 crore people participated.
