Himachal Pradesh to get two new ropeways in a bid to promote tourism

Himachal Pradesh might soon get two ropeways to tackle the problem of traffic jams as well as keep the environment clean. As per the latest reports, the two ropeways will be from Dharamshala to Himani Chamunda, and Palchan to Rohtang. The reports also state that while INR 450 crore would be spent on the 9 km Palchan to Rohtang route, whereas INR 280 crore would be invested on the 4 km long Dharamshala to Himani Chamunda route.

Referring to this development, an official from the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department said that the approval has been received for the said projects under Forest Conservation Act, which will now be further processed to make sure that the construction work starts at the earliest.
Now, with the Rohtang Pass open for tourists, pollution has become a major concern as around 3000 taxi operators are plying on the road almost every day. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has now restricted the number of vehicles to 1200 and directed the go ahead with the ropeway project.
A road journey of 40 km beyond Kothi becomes tiresome because of traffic jams, and this three-hour road journey might cut down to only 30 min after the ropeway is ready. In fact, the ropeway would help to save the economically fragile area from vehicular pollution, and will also promote tourism in this region.
Also, the proposed Himani Chamunda Passenger ropeway will have continuous detachable mono-cable gondola system, covering an area of 107768 sq m; this will also have three terminal stations and a ropeway corridor. The said ropeway will also have a carrying capacity of 600 people per hour.