Wildlife board nod to Kedarnath ropeway project

From May 8, when doors to the Kedarnath Dham were opened this year, over 14.59 lakh devotees have already visited the shrine out of which over 1.3 lakh devotees availed the helicopter service.

Earlier this year, the Uttarakhand government had announced that work on the ropeway project will start soon. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project has already been prepared. The project for the 13-kilometer-long ropeway is expected to cost around Rs 1,200 crore.

The ropeway will be one of the highest ropeways in the world at an altitude of 11,500 feet (3,500 m) above sea level.

Under the project, around 26.43 hectares of forest land is to be transferred to the state government. The project was earlier cleared by the State Wildlife Board and was sent to the NBWL – which is the highest decision-making body for clearing projects in wildlife reserves and protected areas.

Given the nature of the project, which needs to be carried out in forest areas, environmentalists have been strongly opposed to such a move in the ecologically fragile region. However, in its 70th standing committee meeting, chaired by environment minister Bhupender Yadav, the NBWL approved the proposal.