Chatuhshrungi ropeway work to start after Diwali

“The proposal for the ropeway at the temple was long pending and there were objections from the heritage committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and environmentalists. Finally,we met District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar and told him about the problems faced last year and the civic body gave the approval following state government orders,” said Subhash Angal,executive trustee of the Trust which is getting ready for Navratra.

“Actually,the ropeway is one of the projects in the total project to overhaul the Temple. The Temple plan is yet to be cleared by the state government,” Angal said.

He said the Trust will start work on the ropeway after Diwali. “We explained the authorities the ropeway is not for making money,but providing service to the elderly,physically-challenged and pregnant women,” Angal said.

The temple,at a height of 150 feet from the ground,has 185 steps. The Usha K Jolley Trust in Kolkata will raise the ropeway. Each cabin will carry six persons,and they can reach the temple within a minute.

Regarding security arrangements at the temple during the festival,Umesh Shirole,chairman of the Trust said,“During the festival,we are going to deploy 20 security personnel of the Trust,while 150 volunteers of Aniruddha Seva Kendra will remain on guard. Besides,about 300 police personnel will also keep a vigil to avoid any untoward incident. We have insured the devotees who will visit temple,not only during the festival,but also throughout the year.”

The temple authorities said the police are not giving a permission to raise stalls on the temple premises,citing security reasons. Similarly,there would be no amusement park there. “However,the festival celebration will be there,” Shirole said.