Dehradun, 23rd February 2023: Much needed relief for devotees and tourist to reach ‘Yamunottri Dham’ at ease has been initiated by the Uttarakhand state government after signing a contract for a ropeway project to be built from ‘Janki Chatti’ (Kharsali) to ‘Yamunotri Dham’. The contract for building the ropeway was signed by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board with a two private construction company, namely SRM Engineering Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and FIL Industries Pvt. Ltd. in the august presence of Honourable Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Thursday, the 23rd day of February 2023.
The 3.38 km long ropeway will be of mono-cable detachable type. It will be constructed according to European standards on the lines of installations in France and Switzerland. The passenger carrying capacity of this ropeway will around 500 tourists on an hourly basis. The passenger carrying capacity of a single coach of the ropeway will be eight passengers. This project will be executed by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode.
The Uttarakhand state government has always been giving priority to promote tourism and as such is committed to provide better facilities to the pilgrims and tourists coming from the rest of India and abroad. As a part of the entire Yamunotri ropeway project, construction of parking, residential arrangement, restaurant, etc. has also been proposed. The terminals of the ropeway will be built at a cost of Rs 166.82 crore, covering a land area of 1.787 hectare land in Kharsali, the lower terminal, while the upper terminal at Yamunotri Dham will be built on 0.99 hectare of land area.
Speaking on the occasion of signing the contract, Honourable Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “With the completion of this much-awaited project, Yamunotri Dham, one of the world-famous ‘Char Dham’, will be directly connected to its winter destination Kharsali. Devotees and tourist will get added benefits from this ropeway project, as they will no longer have to climb 5.5 KM to reach Yamunotri Dham. Usually, it takes 2 to 3 hours from Kharsali enroute Yamunotri Dham and now with this ropeway project it will take a travel time of only 20 minutes. Devotees and tourist will now be able to enjoy the adventure filled journey on the pollution-free supernatural mountain ranges while enjoying the natural and scenic beauty of Himalayas and get darshan and blessings of Maa Yamunotri Devi”.
“The completion of this ropeway project will not only provide convenience to the pilgrims, but will also lead to social and economic development of the area along with employment generation. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the officers and employees of all the departments associated with this project and with enthusiastic efforts it is now going to be completed” added Honourable Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Honourable Minister of Tourism Shri Satpal Maharaj speaking on the occasion said, “This ropeway from Kharsali to Yamunotri Dham will connect the summer and winter Dhams of Maa Yamunotri Devi together and open another new chapter in the immense possibilities of religious tourism in Uttarakhand. Through this ropeway project, apart from the devotees, the common tourists will also be able to enjoy immersive experience of seeing the unique natural beauty of the state from close quarters. I express my heartfelt gratitude to our Honorable Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami for being present on this occasion of PPP contract signing. Keeping with the vision and mission of the tourism development and continuous guidance by the government, I congratulate the people of the entire state and all those who are working for the launch of this project. Our aim is to complete this project on time and as per schedule”.
Tourism Secretary Shri Sachin Kurve, IAS, said “With the construction of ropeway from Kharsali to Yamunotri, tourism will get a boost as the devotees coming to Yamunotri Dham will also get better amenities and facilities. Added to this, employment opportunities will also be generated for the local people. Devotees and tourists from India and abroad will be able to enjoy the picturesque valleys of Uttarkashi while visiting Yamunotri Dham using the ropeway”.
