LONG-AWAITED ROPEWAY TO SINHAGAD FORT GETS A GREEN LIGHT FROM PMRDA
Rs 116-cr project to be given to an Australian co; touted to take 2 years, it is hoped it will boost eco-tourism
The long-awaited ropeway to the historic Sinhagad fort on the outskirts of Pune city is likely to soon come to fruition. On Monday, the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) went ahead and gave a green light to the ambitious Rs 116-crore project that aims to boost eco-tourism to the landmark heritage location.
At the moment, only the Raigad Fort and popular tourist destination Matheran have such a ropeway in the state. With this new move, those who are unable to trek up the hilly Sahyadri range to reach the peak of Sinhagad will now be able to access it more easily.
Earlier, as long ago as in 2003, the state government had decided to allocate the contract to connect Sinhagad and its base via a ropeway on a buildoperate- transfer (BOT) basis — however, this plan never took off. The issue of a pending no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had also become an obstacle but was eventually resolved. Despite this, the project had gone into cold storage for several years.
Now, with demands for the same rising from several tourists and local visitors — especially senior citizens — PMRDA has taken up the cudgels once more. According to the new plan, the base of the ropeway will be at Atkarwdi village in the foothills.
Speaking to Mirror about the development, PMRDA commissioner Kiran Gitte said, “We have given this contract to an Australian company, which will prepare a detailed project report (DPR). It is to be a completely private project, but PMRDA and other government authorities will have control over it. An amount of Rs 41 crore has been earmarked to be spent on the ropeway. The rest of the Rs 75 crore in the funding will be spent on the base, in the village. All permissions are in place.”
Informing that the ropeway will be at a height of 1.8 km from ground level, Gitte added, “Visitors can still drive up to the fort on the narrow, steep road, but the option of the ropeway will also be available to physically challenged persons and senior citizens. It will be a much safer option for those who cannot climb the hill at the moment to view this beautiful fort. It will also help people avoid the ghat section on the way up, as the road often experiences landslides during the monsoon.”
An official from the forest department, choosing to stay unnamed, said, “The state government is planning this ropeway on Sinhagad as part of promotional efforts for eco-tourism in Maharashtra. It will also be part of our endeavour to encourage tourism, too.”
PMRDA added that once operational, the ropeway will ferry tourists from Atkarwadi and the Ghera Sinhagad area to the top in just 20 minutes, with a capacity to carry 1,000 people per hour, per trip. And, it will take approximately two years to be made functional.
Source : Pune Mirror
