DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand tourism department, in the presence of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, signed a Rs 166.8 crore memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two private firms for the ambitious Yamunotri ropeway project on Thursday.
The 3.38km ropeway would be mono-cable detachable type with the capacity of carrying 500 people in an hour. The lower terminal would be made on a 1.7 hectare land at Kharsali and the upper terminal at Yamunotri on 0.9 hectare land.
Using the ropeway, pilgrims would be able to cover the five km distance, presently covered by trekking, in a span of just 20 minutes.
The ropeway is regarded as an important one as pilgrims in the past have lost their lives while trekking on the tough route.
The passenger carrying capacity of a single coach of the ropeway will be eight passengers. The project is being executed by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board on public-private-partnership mode. As a part of the entire Yamunotri ropeway project, the construction of parking, residential arrangement, restaurant has also been proposed.
Dhami said, “With the completion of the project, Yamunotri will be directly connected to Kharsali, which is a prominent winter destination. Devotees and tourists will get added benefits from the ropeway project, as they will no longer have to trek for 5.5km to cover the distance.”
State tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said, “Besides the pilgrimage to Yamunotri, the ropeway will open another new chapter in the immense possibilities of religious tourism in Uttarakhand. Through this ropeway project, the tourists will also be able to enjoy the immersive experience of seeing the unique natural beauty of the state from close quarters.”
