Shimla, Oct 24 (PTI) Ropeways will prove to be a boon for Shimla and end all its traffic woes, Himachal Deputy Chief Mukesh Agnihotri said on Thursday.
The Shimla-Tara Devi 13.79-km ropeway, work on which is set to commence, is the longest in the country and second longest in the world after the 32-km ropeway in Bolivia in South America.
The work on Rs 1,734-crore Shimla Innovative Urban Transportation Ropeway Network Project will start in March 2025, Agnihotri said.
Addressing the media here, he said the ropeway project is being constructed with financial assistance from New Development Bank (NDB), which gave its approval in July this year.
The ultramodern ropeway, complete with “full-proof” safety features, will set an example for the 39-km Shimla-Parwanoo Ropeway project which is in the pipeline, Agnihotri said.
“The ropeway will be ‘sanjivini’ for Shimla and a solution to its traffic problems,” he said, and termed the transport “future of Himachal.” The work on the 13.79-km ariel transport in Shimla is likely to commence in March 2025.
The 660 trolley-ropeway will have 13 stations and a capacity to carry 6,000 passengers per hour.
Agnihotri claimed that the first phase of the project would be completed within the tenure of the present government.
He also slammed the opposition BJP for taking credit for the project, saying it was the Congress government who prepared a Detailed Project Report, paid Rs 12.50 crore to consultants, and released Rs 20 crore for environment clearance.
The Shimla-Tara Devi ropeway would be executed on EPS (Engineering, procurement and Construction) mode.
The riding fare will be around the bus fare, officials said.
The ropeway will have 13 stations — Taradevi, Judicial Complex, Chakkar, Tutikandi, New ISBT, Railway Station, Old ISBT, Lift, Chhota Shimla, Navbahar, Sanjauli, IGMC, Lakkar Bazaar.
The project is expected to provide 250 direct jobs and more than 20,000 indirect jobs, the government said.
The Baglamukhi Ropeway in Mandi will be inaugurated on November 5, 2024, while the Bijli Mahadev ropeway project in Kullu has been approved for construction, Agnihotri said. PTI BPL VN VN
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