The Centre has received at least 150 proposals from states to build ropeways under its flagship Parvatmala Yojana (National Ropeway Development Programme). They include those for about 30 priority points or stretches connecting Leh Palace (Ladakh), Auli-Gorson (Uttarakhand), Nandi Hills (Karnataka), Harihar Fort (Maharashtra), Mahakaleshwar Temple (Madhya Pradesh), Amarnath Cave, etc, and will be taken up under phase one of the project, Union road transport and highways ministry officials said.
Parvatmala Yojana was announced in the 2022-23 Union Budget in February. Since then, the government has floated tenders for work on ropeway project for Sonprayag to Kedarnath Temple via Gaurikund and Govind Ghat to Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand.
The National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), the Centre-run company tasked with implementing the project, has signed agreements with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir for proposed ropeway projects there.
“We have received at least 156 proposals from states for ropeway projects and the number is going to cross 200 soon. Of these, feasibility studies in about 10 projects are currently underway and studies for 18 more projects will begin next month,” said NHLML chief executive officer Prakash Gaur. He added the response to the programme has been so good that they are issuing tenders to hire more consultancy firms to conduct feasibility studies. “It has been decided that the firms will be given clusters of eight-10 ropeway projects to work on the proposals.”
Andhra Pradesh has sent proposals for 27 ropeway projects, the highest, followed by Maharashtra and Kerala (24 each), Jammu and Kashmir (21), Himachal Pradesh (17), Karnataka (15), Madhya Pradesh (seven), Uttar Pradesh (five), Manipur, Arunachal and Tripura (four), Sikkim, Nagaland, Mizoram and Ladakh (one each).
The states have been given two options for building ropeways. First, where land is provided and the Centre bears the cost and second, in which the state provides 26% equity in a project.
Kanakadurgamma Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijaywada, Kodachadri Hills and Anjanadri Hills (Karnataka), Eegalapenta to Srisailam (Telangana) are among other spots to be covered under phase one of the project.
The government is also looking at ropeways as a transport mode in cities. India’s first city ropeway project has been announced for Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, which is Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency. Four city ropeway projects are also under consideration for Ghaziabad.
Ropeways have a maximum capacity for 6,000-8,000 passengers per hour depending on the technology adopted even as they involve higher costs. A transport ministry official said the projects are appealing in hilly areas because ropeways are a faster mode of transportation. “Ropeways can be built in a straight line over hilly terrain, thus compensating for the slower speed (15-30 km per hour). Despite higher cost of construction per km vis-à-vis road transport, the shorter length connecting to origin and destination makes it more economical than roadways,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
The environment ministry has proposed to exempt ropeway projects from environment impact assessment, which is usually a lengthy process, highlighting the importance of the Parvatmala project.