ITANAGAR, 7 Feb: The ministry of road transport & highways (MoRTH) said that a proposal has been received from the Arunachal Pradesh government for developing ropeways in the state.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the union budget for 2022-23 announced that contracts for eight ropeway projects for a length of 60 kms would be awarded in 2022-23. “The scheme is being presently started in regions like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir and the other northeastern states,” the ministry said in a release on Monday.
Sitharaman announced that the national ropeways development programme, dubbed ‘Parvatmala’, will be taken up on the PPP mode, “which will be a preferred ecologically sustainable alternative in place of conventional roads in difficult hilly areas,” the ministry said.
“The idea is to improve connectivity and convenience for commuters, besides promoting tourism,” it said.
“Developing an efficient transport network is a big challenge in hilly areas. The rail and air transport networks are limited in these areas, while the development of road network has technical challenges.
In this backdrop, ropeways have emerged as a convenient and safe alternate transport mode,” the ministry said.
The MoRTH has so far been responsible for development of highways and regulating the road transport sector across the country. However, in February 2021, the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 was amended, which enables the ministry to also look after the development of ropeways and alternate mobility solutions.
“The move will give a boost to the sector by setting up a regulatory regime. The ministry will also have responsibility for development of ropeway and alternative mobility solutions technology, as well as construction, research, and policy in this area. Formulation of institutional, financial, and regulatory framework for the technology will also fall under the ambit of this allocation,” it said.
The MoRTH has initiated a study carried out by M/s Mckinsey & Co for ropeway development in the country. The study suggested that the MoRTH may take Parvatmala, similar to the Bharatmala programme.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board for development of ropeways in the state. Initially, seven projects have been identified in Uttarakhand. The DPR for Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib ropeways is in progress and the NIT for the same has been invited.
Proposals have also been received from the governments of Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir for development of ropeways. (PIB)
