NEW DELHI: Union Cabinet is likely to approve two ropeway projects connecting major pilgrim centres of Hindus and Sikhs — Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib, on Wednesday.
The foundation stone for these projects were laid in Oct 2022 under the “Parvatmala Pariyojana”, which aims to boost connectivity in the hilly areas and to boost tourism.
Both the projects will be implemented on Build Operate and Transfer. Sources said that while the cost of the 13-km long Sonprayag-Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway project was earlier estimated around Rs 1,200 crore and the Govind Ghat-Ghangaria-Hemkund Sahib (12.5 km) project was pegged around Rs 850 crore, these have been revised.
The ropeway to Kedarnath would be one of the world’s longest ropeways and would be built at an altitude of 3,583 metres above sea level.
Once completed, pilgrims and tourists can reach Kedatnath from Sonprayag in just 60 minutes. Currently, it takes 6-7 hours. The plan envisaged 3,600 passengers could travel in an hour per direction.
The 12.5 km proposed ropeway to Hemkund Sahib via Ghangaria will reduce the travel time to about 45 minutes. Ghangaria is the gateway to Valley of Flowers national park. The way from Govind Ghat to Hemkund Sahib is a 19 km steep and tough foot track and takes about 12 hours to reach the shrine.