(TibetanReview.net, Jan20’22) – The long-delayed ropeway connecting downtown Dharamshala with McLeod Ganj in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh has finally been inaugurated with Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur taking the first ride on Jan 19.
The chief minister inaugurated or laid foundation stones of 17 development projects worth Rs 283.19 crore at Dharamshala, Kangra district, on the same day, reported the tribuneindia.com Jan 19.
Called the Dharamshala Skyway, the project’s construction cost was stated to be Rs 207 crore. It was stated to be the biggest private investment in Kangra District in the past four years, built by Dharamshala Ropeways Company, a joint venture of Tata Infrastructure Company and a state firm.
The ropeway is 1.8 km long, has the capacity to carry 1,000 persons per hour and will cover the McLeod Ganj-downtown Dharamshala distance in five minutes.
The tariff for a one-way trip is Rs 300 per person and for a round trip the cost is Rs 500 per person. This is somewhat comparable to the local taxi fare for a single passenger trip.
The report said the technology used in the ropeways was mono cable detachable gondolas supplied by Leitner SPA, an Italian company.
The Chief Minister has said the ropeway would go a long way to boost tourism development in the town. It would prove to be a milestone for providing an alternative mode of transport to tourists as well as general commuters, he has added.
The ropeway is seen as a big boon during the peak tourism season when traffic congestion has been an intractable problem in the hill town.
