Cabinet approves two ropeway projects of Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib worth over Rs 6,800 crore

Kedarnath ropeway project

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the the much-anticipated Kedarnath ropeway project for a sum of Rs 4,081 crore.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the construction of 12.9 km ropeway project from Sonprayag to Kedarnath (12.9 km). The project will be developed on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) mode. The project was first announced in October 2022 under the "Parvatmala Pariyojana" program which aims to boost tourism in remote hilly areas.

According to an official release on PIB,  the ropeway is planned to be developed in public-private partnership and will be based on the most advanced Tri-cable Detachable Gondola (3S) technology with a design capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD) carrying 18,000 passengers per day.

The ropeway project will be a boon to the pilgrims visiting Kedarnath as it would provide an environment-friendly, comfortable and fast connectivity and reduce travel time in one direction from about 8 to 9 hours to about 36 minutes.

Additionally, the cabinet also  gave its nod to Hemkund Sahib ropeway project, which will span 12.4 km, and is worth Rs 2,730 crore. Currently, the journey to the 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 and visiting the Hemkund Sahib Ji and the tourists visiting the Valley of Flowers and will ensure all-weather last mile connectivity between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib Ji.

 Kedarnath is one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas situated at an elevation of 3,583 m (11968 ft) in the Rudraprayag district of the State of Uttarakhand. The temple is open for pilgrims for about 6 to 7 months in a year from Akshaya Tritiya (April-May) to Diwali (October-November) and is visited by about 20 lakh pilgrims annually during the season.