New Cable Car Projects In Uttarkhand To Boost Tourism, Connectivity

The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 Km long connecting Gaurikund to Kedarnath.

Representative Image

Source : Getty

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Badrinath and Kedarnath on Friday to lay the groundwork for projects worth more than Rs 3400 crore. The infrastructural development is beig done to strengthen connectivity and religious tourism in the state and its adjoining areas. “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Uttarakhand on 21st October 2022. In Kedarnath, at around 8:30 AM, he will perform darshan and pooja at Shri Kedarnath Temple," said the Prime Minister's Office.

PM Modi’s itinerary in Uttarakhand

“At around 9 AM, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Kedarnath Ropeway Project. After that, he will visit the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal," the PMO office further said.

“At around 9:25 AM, Prime Minister will review the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath," the statement read.

Later, the Prime Minister will take part in the prayers at the Badrinath temple and look over how the riverfront development is progressing.

Key projects to be inaugurated

The Prime Minister will lay the groundwork for the road and ropeway projects in Mana village. The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 Km long connecting Gaurikund to Kedarnath. It will reduce the travel time between the two places to about 30 mins from 6-7 hours earlier. The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 Km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 minutes. “This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park," according to the PMO.

Built at a cost of Rs 2,430 crore, the ropeway project is aimed to provide travellers with a stable, safe, and environment friendly mode of transportation.

The significant infrastructure upgrade is aimed to boost the religious tourism besides creating numerous job opportunities and pushing economic growth in the region.

“Foundation stone of road widening projects worth around Rs 1000 crore will also be laid during the visit. The two road widening projects - from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B) - shall be another step towards providing the last mile all-weather road connectivity to our border areas. Apart from boosting connectivity, these projects will also prove beneficial from a strategic point of view as well," the PMO release added.

It will be Modi’s sixth visit to the holy sites as Prime Minister. Modi visited Kedarnath for the first time on May 3, 2017. The Kedarnath Dham will close on October 27 this year, while the Badrinath Dham will remain open till November 19.

A timeline of Modi’s Uttrakhand visits

May 3, 2017 – Modi visited and worshipped at Kedarnath Dham.

October 19, 2017 – Visited Kedarnath Dham to lay the foundation stone of construction projects.

November 7, 2018 - On the day of Diwali of 2018, Modi visited Kedarnath Dham to take stock of the reconstruction works

May 18, 2019 - The day after the election campaign for Lok Sabha 2019 ended, Modi once again visited went Kedarnath.

November 5, 2021 – PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several development projects.

An ATV vehicle has been transported from the Air Force's heavy cargo carrier Chinook helicopter to Kedarnath Dham. This is the same vehicle in which the Prime Minister will visit Kedarpuri. Before becoming the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had visited Kedarnath Dham in the 90s. During that time, he meditated at Garudchatti, 2 km before Kedarnath temple.