GEIS-新闻详情

Cabinet okays Rs 6.8K cr ropeway projects for Hemkund Sahib, Karnaprayag

2025-03-05 00:00:00.0 商业标准报-经济和政策原网页

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved two ropeway projects worth ？6,811 crore in Uttarakhand, aimed at boosting religious tourism and easing the woes of pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib.

The first ropeway project — Sonprayag to Kedarnath (12.9 kilometres) — will be built at a capital cost of ？4,081 crore, while the second — Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib Ji (12.4 kilometres) — will require an investment of ？2,730 crore.

The projects will be developed in design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (DBFOT) mode, which is a public-private partnership (PPP) model where the developer builds, maintains, and operates the asset for a share in the revenue.

“The kind of developers taking interest in the project are global technology providers who have expertise in this space, and Indian companies that are good at construction in such difficult circumstances,” Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.

The minister said more details on how much the central government will contribute to the projects and how much private players would be expected to bring in would be disclosed near the bidding stage.

Also Read

Number of devotees at Kedarnath touched a new record this year: CM Dhami

Congress, BJP announce candidates for Nov 20 Kedarnath Assembly bypoll

Nearly 75% of Chardham project in Uttarakhand complete: Centre to SC

Landslide on Kedarnath route: Death toll at 5 after 4 more bodies recovered

Uttarakhand CM Dhami approves special assistance for disaster-hit Kedarnath

“Currently, the journey to Hemkund Sahib Ji is a challenging 21-km uphill trek from Govindghat and is covered on foot or by ponies or palanquins. The proposed ropeway is planned to provide convenience to pilgrims visiting Hemkund Sahib Ji and tourists visiting the Valley of Flowers. It will ensure all-weather last-mile connectivity between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib Ji,” a statement by the Cabinet said.

Similarly, the journey to Kedarnath temple is an arduous 16-km uphill trek from Gaurikund and is currently covered on foot or by ponies, palanquins, and helicopters.

On concerns regarding possible environmental damage by the project, the minister added that all relevant stakeholders have been consulted, only after which the project has been approved.

The government expects the Kedarnath ropeway project to bring down travel time between the two areas to 36 minutes from the current 8-9 hours, while the travel time for Hemkund Sahib will be reduced to 42 minutes.

The projects will be bid out with a concession period of 35 years, which includes a construction period of six years.

The Hemkund Sahib project will be built using monocable detachable gondola (MDG) technology from Govindghat to Ghangaria (10.55 km) and tricable detachable gondola (3S) technology from Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib Ji (1.85 km), with a design capacity of 1,100 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD), carrying 11,000 passengers per day.

The Kedarnath ropeway will be fully built using 3S technology, with a design capacity of 1,800 PPHPD, carrying 18,000 passengers per day.

The Cabinet also approved tweaks to the ？3,880-crore Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP) to include the distribution of high-quality and affordable generic veterinary medicines to farmers through Pashu Aushadhi kendras.

Pashu Aushadhi was a new component added to the LHDCP scheme, which would be similar to Jan Aushadi Yojana. The generic veterinary medicines will be distributed through PM Kisan Samridhi Kendras and cooperatives, an official statement added. ( Inputs from Sanjeeb Mukherjee)