Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Apr: Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan today reviewed the progress of ropeway construction projects underway in the state. During the meeting, he examined the updated status of various ropeway schemes and directed that BRIDCUL be strengthened to act as the regulatory authority for ropeway projects. He instructed that a draft of its roles and responsibilities be prepared at the earliest. He also directed that the ropeway project be included in the Jageshwar Dham plan.
To determine priority for ropeway construction, the CS ordered the formation of a sub-committee under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Planning, with the Secretary, Tourism, Secretary, Housing, Secretary, Public Works Department (PWD), and the Civil Aviation Development Authority as members. He said the sub-committee will decide the priority of ropeways to be built in the state. He emphasised that in any city, the inclusion or exclusion of specific locations in ropeway projects must be decided by the Tourism Department and local administration according to the needs of the city.
Reviewing the Mussoorie ropeway, the CS directed that issues related to the public road near the lower terminal be resolved within three days and the project completed within the stipulated timeframe. He also reviewed the progress of the Hemkund Sahib and Kedarnath ropeway projects. Bardhan directed that a logistics dry run be conducted for the Kedarnath ropeway to identify and rectify unsafe spots immediately. He directed that Kund Bridge and the new bypass be completed quickly and wherever new bridges or bypasses are required, surveys and construction should be undertaken simultaneously.
The CS further directed that parking arrangements at the lower terminal of the Kedarnath ropeway be ensured, with land identification and transfer processes initiated alongside. He instructed that PERT charts for the Hemkund and Kedarnath ropeway projects be prepared and made available and that strict compliance with the PERT charts must be ensured to complete the works on time.
It was shared at the meeting that the agreement for the Kedarnath ropeway has been signed and the Letter of Award issued. The lidar survey has been completed and the technical survey is in progress. Detailed topography surveys for stations and towers are also underway. For the Hemkund Sahib ropeway, the Letter of Award has been issued and land surveys are in progress.
Those present at the meeting included Principal Secretary Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey and Dr R Rajesh Kumar as well as other senior officers from the related departments.
