Kedarnath is one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas.
The government on Wednesday approved two ropeway projects in Uttarakhand -- Sonprayag to Kedarnath and Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib Ji -- at a total cost of Rs 6,811 crore to help significantly reduce the travel time to the pilgrimage sites and boost tourism.
The construction of these two ambitious projects is likely to be completed in 4-6 years. The two ropeways will be constructed under the National Ropeways Development Programme - Parvatmala Pariyojana.
The decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Sonprayag to Kedarnath ropeway is planned to be developed in public-private partnership and will be based on the most advanced Tri-cable Detachable Gondola (3S) technology having the capacity to carry 1,800 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD), which could ferry 18,000 passengers per day.
Vaishnaw informed that the 12.4-km ropeway project from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib Ji too will be developed on DBFOT mode at a total capital cost of Rs 2,730.13 crore.
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 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.
The journey to the Kedarnath temple is a challenging 16-km uphill trek from Gaurikund and is currently covered on foot or by ponies, palanquins and helicopter. The proposed ropeway is planned to provide convenience to pilgrims visiting the temple and ensure all-weather connectivity between Sonprayag and Kedarnath.
"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," an official release said.
The minister said 23 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath shrine last year and the number is expected to rise to 36 lakhs with the ropeway project.
The Hemkund Sahib Ji proposed ropeway would provide convenience to pilgrims and tourists visiting the Valley of Flowers. It will ensure all-weather last mile connectivity between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib Ji.
This ropeway is also 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 the capacity to carry 1,100 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD) and could ferry 11,000 passengers per day.
Vaishnaw informed that 1.77 lakh people went to Hemkund Sahib Ji last year. The ropeway is expected to increase the number of people visiting there by 10 times.
Kedarnath is one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas situated at an elevation of 3,583 m (11968 ft) in the Rudraprayag district 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 Sahib Ji is a highly revered pilgrimage site situated at an elevation of 15,000 ft in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The Gurudwara established at the holy site is open for about 5 months in a year between May and September and is visited by about 1.5 to 2 lakh pilgrims annually.
It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Guru of Sikhs, meditated at the site. It is also famous as the meditation ground for Lord Rama's brother Lakshmana.
The trek to Hemkund Sahib Ji also serves as the gateway to the famous Valley of Flowers, a national park recognised as the UNESCO World Heritage site, located in the pristine Garhwal Himalayas.
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