Express News Service
DEHRADUN: The Yamunotri ropeway project, which aims to cut down the trekking time for pilgrims visiting the Charm Dham shrine of Yamunotri, has got a new lease of life. The Uttarakhand government has given nod for issuing new tenders for the project worth around Rs 180 crore.
Dilip Jawalkar, state secretary of tourism, told this newspaper that the project is viable commercially and eco-friendly. “Such projects are good for people as well as our state’s ecology and economy,” he said. Yamunotri Dham at an altitude of over 10,000 feet is part of the Char Dham Yatra, which also includes Kedarnath, Gangotri and Badrinath shrines.
The length of the ropeway, which comes at a height of 10,797 feet, will be 3.8km, said officials privy to the details of the project, which will be built in public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The project, which was conceived in 2008, had long been delayed.
At present, it takes around 90 minutes to trek to the temple from Kharsali village in Jankichatti. The ropeway aims to cut down this to 10-15 minutes. Around 1.8 hectare land has been identified for the lower terminal of the ropeway while for the upper terminal, 0.99 hectare has been identified. Facilities such as parking and lodgwill also be provided to the visitors who opt the ropeway.
