A related photograph. (By Author)
Dharamsala, June 14, 2015: Work on the much awaited Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway is likely to start in July this year, as the Himachal Pradesh government has issued letter of award (LoA) to the Mumbai-based Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited (TRIL) -a subsidiary of Tata Sons operating in urban transport sector. 120-crore project, which was cleared by the state government on February 13, has a single favored bidder TRIL. Meanwhile, talking to this correspondent, the MLA from Dharamsala cum urban development minister Sudhir Sharma said , “the LoA had been issued to the entrepreneur and the work on the project would likely begin in month of July.The work on 2.1 km ropeway project will be completed in two years.”
The Minister said further that the ropeway will help in decongesting McLeodganj town(famous as Dalai Lamas home city) , which receives around 2.5 lakh domestic and foreign tourists annually."The state government is also planning to develop a parking near Kotwali Bazar in Dharamsala city from where tourists will be carried to McLeodganj through rope way ," the minister added. Another Ropeway project from Mecleodganj to 2827 m high Triund (an all weather snow point in dhouladhar ranges of Kangra district)is also in pipe line.
For Dharamsala –Mecleodganj ropeway the LoA was issued by Himachal Pradesh Infrastructure Development Board (HPIDB) on June 8.
VC Pharka, Principal Secretary, Tourism, said, “The Palchang-Kothi ropeway might still have to wait as the locals have raised certain livelihood issues and once these are resolved, the go-ahead can be given.”
Usha Breco, which has been awarded the 4.1-km Himani-Chamunda ropeway near Dharamsala in Kangra and Tutikandi-Mall ropeway in Shimla, has even formed the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and deposited Rs 1 crore as the security. “The company is keen that the two ropeways which will give a major fillip to tourism are complete at the earliest,” said a tourism official.
The Shimla ropeway with a span of 2.4 km will start from near the Tourist Information Centre near the bypass and connect with Fir Hill Hotel and then to the ISBT and then with the Lift on the Cart Road and finally near the Rani Jhansi Park. This ropeway is aimed at easing traffic on the Cart Road and provide easy accessibility with The Mall.
Fresh bids have been invited for the 2.3 km Naina-Devi-Toba aerial ropeway with none of the companies evincing interest in taking up the project so far said tourism official.
An MoU had been signed by Himachal with Punjab during the previous BJP regime for executing the ropeway connecting the two shrines of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab and Naina Devi in Himachal. However, the MoU was scrapped by the Congress regime after coming to power as it felt that the agreement was lopsided and favoured Punjab more than Himachal.
In February 13 The Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh granted approval to three passenger ropeways , from Dharamsala to Mcleodganj, from lift to Mall in Shimla and up to Himani Chamunda temple in Kangra district. The ropeways would be built under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode.
Two of these ropeways — from Dharamsala to Mcleodganj and for Himani Chamunda temple are in the Dharamsala Assembly constituency represented by Minister for Town and Country Planning Sudhir Sharma. The third rope way was to overcome Shimla’s chronic problem of traffic congestion, the Himachal Pradesh government decided to go for a multi-million ropeway project.A Rs.250-crore aerial ropeway project connecting Shimla’s inter-state bus terminus at Tutikandi with the Mall road, the famous strolling street, was to be built under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. this ropeway is proposed to carry around 1,500-2,000 people per hour each way and the one-side travel time would be around 10 minutes to reduce the conjusion of heavy tourist rush in that sector ,
Vir Bhadra Government also planned a ropeway project to carry apples from Shimla’s prominent apple belt Kotgarh to Parwanoo.” If it becomes a reality , the material ropeway would help reduce ground transport and traffic and would take off 64,000 truck trips at 40 percent capacity utilization, “says the study.
Date:
Sunday, June 14, 2015