Work on Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway to begin in July
Sudhir Sharma, PTI | June 14, 2015
DHARAMSALA: The work on the much awaited Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway is likely to start in July this year as the state government has issued letter of award (LoA) to the Mumbai-based Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited (TRIL).
The work on the 2.1-km ropeway project, the LoA for which was issued by Himachal Pradesh Infrastructure Development Board (HPIDB) on June 8, will be completed in two years.
The Rs 120 crore project, which was cleared by the state government on February 13, had a single favoured bidder TRIL, a subsidiary of Tata Sons operating in urban transport sector.
“The LoA had been issued to the entrepreneur and the work on the project is likely to begin in July,” Dharamsala MLA and state Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma told.
The minister further said that the ropeway will help in decongesting McLeodganj town (famous as the Dalai Lama’s home city), which receives around 2.5 L domestic and foreign tourists annually.
“The state government is also planning to develop a parking near Kotwali Bazar in Dharamsala city from where tourists will be carried to McLeodganj through the ropeway,” the minister added.
Usha Breco, which has been awarded the contract for the 4.1-km Himani-Chamunda ropeway near Dharamsala in Kangra and Tutikandi-Mall ropeway in Shimla, has even formed the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and deposited Rs one crore as the security.
“The company is keen that the two ropeways which will give a major fillip to tourism are completed at the earliest,” a tourism official said.
The 2.4 km Shimla ropeway will start from near the Tourist Information Centre near the bypass and connect with Firhill Hotel and then to the inter-state bus terminus ( ISBT) and then with the Lift on the Cart Road and finally near the Rani Jhansi Park.
This ropeway is aimed at easing traffic on the Cart Road and provide easy access to The Mall.
