Centre okays Kedarnath, Hemkund Sahib ropeways: All you need to know

The Centre has finally sanctioned two long-awaited ropeway projects in Uttarakhand — one between Sonprayag and Kedarnath and the other between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Thursday (March 6), “These projects will reduce the long hours of travel to a few minutes for those visiting Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib.”

He added that this project will also boost the economy, as these places are hotspots for religious tourism.

Here is all you need to know about the two projects.

Also read: Kedarnath temple gates to open on May 2

About Sonprayag-Kedarnath ropeway

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has posted two videos on his social media handle outlining the details of the two ropeways, which, he said, will be a big boon for pilgrims who visit the shrines of Lord Shiva (in Kedarnath) and Guru Gobind Singh (Hemkund Sahib) while providing environment-friendly, comfortable and fast connectivity.

The Sonprayag-Kedarnath ropeway will be designed based on the latest “gondola” technology with the capacity to hold up to 36 people in one gondola.

Currently, the distance by road from Sonprayag to Gaurikund is 5 km, while that by trek from Gaurikund to Kedarnath is 16 km. The total distance by ropeway will come down to 12.9 km. The total distance that now takes eight to nine hours to cover will come down to 36 minutes by ropeway.

Also, it will allow pilgrims to visit the shrine throughout all six months that it is open instead of making them rush in the first two months to avoid the monsoon.

About Govindghat-Hemkund Sahib ropeway

The Govindghat-Hemkund Sahib ropeway will not only benefit pilgrims who want to visit the Sikh shrine but also become a convenient choice for tourists on their way to Valley of Flowers, ensuring all-weather last-mile connectivity.

This ropeway will have two parts — one from Govindghat to Ghangaria covering 10.55 km and the other from Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib covering 1.85 km. Those wishing to go to the Valley of Flowers can get off at Ghangaria and trek the rest of the 4 kilometres.

Also read: J-K: Katra returns to normalcy after weeklong shutdown against ropeway

According to Vaishnaw, the darshan time at Hemkund Sahib will go up to 10 hours a day compared to 4–5 hours currently. It was not clear from the video how long the journey will take by ropeway. But since the distances are similar, it should be around the same time as taken by the Kedarnath ropeway.

Estimated cost

According to Vaishnaw’s post, the Kedarnath ropeway project will cost Rs 4,081 crore, while the Hemkund Sahib project will cost Rs 2730 crore. Both are estimated to be completed in six years, according to reports.

Officials of the National Highway Logistics Management Ltd, which is a central government agency handling the ropeway projects, said that bids will be opened for both projects later this month.

These projects will be implemented on a Public-Private partnership (PPP) mode.