Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 24 Aug: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today expressed displeasure over the slow pace of ropeway projects during a review meeting held at the Chief Minister’s residence here. During the meeting, he directed the executing agencies to accelerate work and ensure that visible progress is achieved on the ground by State Foundation Day on 9 November. He instructed all the related agencies to submit progress reports to the Chief Secretary within fifteen days and stated that he would personally review the projects again soon. He made it clear that unnecessary delays in implementation would not be tolerated and that the timelines must be strictly adhered to.
The CM also directed the district magistrates to monitor proposed and ongoing ropeway projects regularly and maintain close coordination with the executing agencies to resolve issues related to the land, the forest clearances, the departmental approvals and other bottlenecks without delay. He emphasised that ropeway connectivity is vital for Uttarakhand given its geographical conditions, as it will ease travel to the religious and the tourist destinations, reduce traffic pressure on roads and also generate employment and self-employment opportunities at the local level.
The projects under National Highways Logistics Management Limited, Uttarakhand Metro Rail, Urban Infrastructure and Building Construction Corporation and the Tourism Department were reviewed during the meeting today. In the first phase, 11 ropeway projects of NHLML and six in the second phase were also discussed along with UKMRC-related schemes. Dhami specifically reviewed the Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib ropeways, measuring 12.90 km and 12.40 km respectively, and directed that the processes be expedited to facilitate smoother pilgrim travel. He also ordered faster progress on the Nainital ropeway, stressing on its importance for tourism and traffic management, and on the Dehradun–Mussoorie ropeway, which he said would provide an alternative transport facility during peak tourist season.
Further reviews were also conducted on proposed ropeways at Yamunotri, Purnagiri and Kunjapuri, with instructions to complete pending procedures at various levels promptly. The Haridwar integrated ropeway project and the Triveni Ghat–Neelkanth proposal were also discussed, with emphasis on passenger safety, environmental balance and future requirements. The CM reiterated that progress must not remain confined to paperwork but should be visible on the ground by 9 November. Based on the reports submitted to the Chief Secretary, he will conduct another review shortly.
Among those present at the meeting included Vice-Chairman of the Infrastructure Monitoring Council Vishwas Dawar, Principal Secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Pankaj Kumar Pandey and Dheeraj Garbyal, the officers of executing agencies and other officials. Some officials attended virtually too.
