Rs 6,811 Crore Ropeway Projects For Shri Kedarnath Dham And Hemkund Sahib In Uttarakhand Get Union Cabinet Nod

In a significant move to enhance connectivity in the Himalayan pilgrimage circuit, the Union Cabinet has approve two major ropeway projects—one linking Sonprayag to Shri Kedarnath Dham and the other connecting Govind Ghat to Hemkund Sahib — in Uttarakhand.

The approval granted on Wednesday (5 March) by , marks a crucial step in the government’s initiative to improve access to key Hindu and Sikh pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand.

Kedarnath Ropeway project

The 12.9 km Kedarnath ropeway project will be developed on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) mode at a total capital cost of Rs 4,081.28 crore.

The ropeway is planned to be developed in public-private partnership and will be based on the most advanced Tri-cable Detachable Gondola (3S) technology with a design capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD) carrying 18,000 passengers per day.

The ropeway project will be a boon to the pilgrims visiting Kedarnath as it would provide an environment-friendly, comfortable and fast connectivity and reduce travel time in one direction from about 8 to 9 hours to about 36 minutes.

Shri Kedarnath dham is one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas situated at an elevation of 3,583 m (11968 ft) in the Rudraprayag district of the State of Uttarakhand.

The temple is open for pilgrims for about 6 to 7 months in a year from Akshaya Tritiya (April-May) to Diwali (October-November) and is visited by about 20 lakh pilgrims annually during the season.

Hemkund ropeway project

The Union Cabinet also approved the construction of 12.4 km ropeway project from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib Ji.

The project will be developed on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) mode at a total capital cost of Rs 2,730.13 crore.

The ropeway is planned to be developed in public-private partnership and will be based on Monocable Detachable Gondola (MDG) from Govindghat to Ghangaria (10.55 km), seamlessly integrated with the most advanced Tricable Detachable Gondola (3S) technology from Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib Ji (1.85 km) with a design capacity of 1,100 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD) carrying 11,000 passengers per day.

Currently, the journey to the Hemkund Sahib Ji is a challenging 21-km uphill trek from Govindghat and is covered on foot or by ponies or palanquins.

The proposed ropeway is planned to provide convenience to pilgrims and visiting the Hemkund Sahib Ji and the tourists visiting the Valley of Flowers and will ensure all-weather last mile connectivity between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib Ji.
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