Ropeways have emerged as a convenient and safe alternate transport mode in hilly areas that cannot be connected to roads and railways. On October 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the central government’s Parvatmala project laid the foundation stone for two ropeways projects in the temple state of Uttarakhand.
One of these will be connecting the town of Govindghat to the Hemkund Sahib, one of the most popular religious sites for the Sikhs and the other will be connecting the town of Gaurikund to the temple of Kedarnath, the shrine of Mahadev. The projects are estimated to cost around 2,430 crores and will cut travel time by about 45 minutes.
During his two-day visit to Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspected various temples and laid the foundation stones for various projects. The length of the ropeway connecting Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib will be around 12 kilometers. It will have stations at the Gobind Ghat, and Pind Pullana, connecting Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib and Hemkund Sahib.
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The length of the ropeway connecting the towns of Gaurikund and Kedarnath will be around 9.7 kilometers long. It will be able to provide a safe and quick transport option to the people of Uttarakhand and the thousands of pilgrims at the shrine. The construction of these ropeway projects will help in reducing travel time and make the journey easier. The ropeway will also connect Ghangaria which is widely known as the gateway to the Valley of Flowers.
According to Rajya Sabha MP, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, the construction of the ropeway from Govindghat to the Hemkund Sahib is a gift to the Sikh community. He said that it will be completed in two years. He also spoke about how it will boost the tourism industry and create job opportunities for the youth.
This is PM Modi’s sixth visit to Kedarnath and his second to Badrinath as the Prime Minister. PM Modi also visited the Samadhi Sthal of Adi Guru Shankaracharya and spent some time there.