Work On India’s Longest Ropeway Connecting Mumbai To Elephanta Caves Over Arabian Sea To Begin Soon

The construction work on India’s longest ropeway connecting Mumbai with the Elephanta caves is expected to begin sometime later this year as the project awaits final clearance, Indian Express has reported.

India’s first and longest ropeway project over the sea worth Rs 700 crore still requires a clearance from the Archaeological Survey of India.

The Culture Ministry has assured its full support for the execution of the project which is being spearheaded by the Mumbai Port Trust coming under the Shipping Ministry.

Currently ferries take about 45 minutes to one hour to cover the 13 KM distance from the mainland to the Elephanta Island. The ropeway is expected to cover the distance in about 14 minutes. Passengers would be ferried to and from the island on 30 seater pods.

The construction which is expected to take around 42 months, would involve erecting eight to 11 towers mid sea, with each being 50 to 100 metres tall.

The caves are visited by around 7 lakh tourists per year and experts estimate that the ropeway may get a potential footfall of 20,000 per day, which would result in an annual turnover of around Rs 380 crore.