Girnar ropeway

Girnar ropeway is a ropeway on Mount Girnar in Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. It is Asia's longest ropeway. First proposed in 1983, the construction started only in September 2018 due to government approval delays and litigation. The construction and operation is managed by Usha Breco Limited. It was inaugurated on 24 October 2020.

Girnar ropeway
Overview
Girnar Udankhatola
CharacterRecreational
LocationBhavnath Taleti, Junagadh
CountryIndia
Coordinates21.52702°N 70.506085°E / 21.52702; 70.506085
TerminiBhavnath Taleti
Ambaji Temple
Elevationlowest:  168m
highest: 1066m
No. of stations2
ServicesJunagadh, Gujarat
Built byUsha Breco Limited
Construction cost₹130 crore (US$18 million)[1]
Construction beginSeptember 2018
Open24 October 2020 (2020-10-24)
Websiteushabreco.com
Operation
OwnerUsha Breco Limited
OperatorUsha Breco Limited
No. of carriers25
Carrier capacity8 passengers
Ridership8000 daily
Trip duration7.43 minutes
Fare₹700 (US$9.80) (normal)
₹400 (US$5.60) (concessional)[1]
Technical features
Aerial lift typeMono-cable gondola detachable
Manufactured byDoppelmayr Garaventa Group
Line length2,126.40 metres (6,976.4 ft)
No. of support towers9[1]
No. of cables1
Cable diameter50 mm
Installed power1000 kVA
Operating speed6 m/s
Vertical Interval900 metres (3,000 ft)[1]
Girnar ropeway

History

Mount Girnar is a major pilgrim site because of presence of the Amba temple, the Dattatreya shrine, and many Hindu temples as well as several Jain temples.[2]

The project was first proposed by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) in 1983 which suggested the diversion of about 9.1 hectares (22 acres) of forest land. The Government of Gujarat finalised diversion of 7.29 hectares (18.0 acres) of forest land in 1994 and the compensatory forest land was granted near Toraniya village. The Government of India also permitted in 1995.[2]

The project was delayed when the palanquin-bearers, who carried pilgrims up the mount, opposed the project and petitioned the Gujarat High Court regarding their livelihood. The petition was dismissed after the company constructing the ropeway, Usha Breco Limited, agreed for compensatory livelihood.[2] As of 2020, total 104 shops for palanquin-bearers who were affected by the project, are being constructed in the parking lot of the lower terminal.[3] After objections from the environmental activists, the construction was further stopped in 1999.[2]

The work resumed in 2002 after sorting the objections and the land was acquired in 2007. Then state Chief Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone. As the project was located within the Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, the wildlife clearance was granted by the National Board for Wildlife in 2011 while the environmental clearance was granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India in 2016.[2][4][5][6]

The proposed alignment of the ropeway was considered a risk to local endangered long-billed vultures. A Public Interest Litigation regarding it was filed in 2017 and was dismissed by the Gujarat High Court in 2020.[7][8]

The construction was restarted in September 2018.[9] The project was projected to open in May 2020 but was further delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11] Trial runs were carried out in September 2020 and the construction was completed on 17 October 2020.[12][13] The project was inaugurated on 24 October 2020 by now Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[14][15]

Technical features

The ropeway is 2,320 metres (7,600 ft) long, Asia's longest.[16][17][18] It was constructed at the cost of ₹130 crore (US$18 million) which included the construction of the lower and upper terminals as well as nine poles supporting the rope.[1] It operates mono-cable gondola detachable type lifts.[19] It takes passengers 850 metres (2,800 ft) above the hill to the Amba temple. It has 25 trolleys with capacity of eight passengers each. It can carry 1000 passengers per hour but operates at capacity of 800 passengers per hour and 8000 per day.[9][13][16][20][21] The trip takes 7.43 minutes.[9]

See also

References
  1. "2.3 km-long Girnar ropeway to facilitate 5-6 lakh people every year". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Times News Network. 2020-10-23.
  2. "Rajkot: 33-year-long wait over, Girnar ropeway project gets green nod". The Indian Express. 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  3. "Junagadh: Palanquin-bearers at Mount Girnar to get 104 shops". The Indian Express. 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  4. "Six conditions imposed for Girnar ropeway project's approval". DeshGujarat. 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  5. "Travel News - Usha Breco's Girnar Ropeway project gets approval | TravelBiz Monitor". www.travelbizmonitor.com. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  6. Dave, Vimukt (2011-05-05). "Girnar ropeway design will be made in Austria". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  7. "PIL against permission for Girnar ropeway". The Times of India. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  8. "Gujarat HC junks PIL seeking scrapping of ropeway project". Outlook. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  9. "Soon, you can zoom to Mount Girnar in 7.43 mins". Ahmedabad Mirror. 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  10. "ગીરનાર રોપ-વે પ્રોજેક્ટનું મે ના અંતમાં વડાપ્રધાન નરેન્દ્ર મોદી લોકાર્પણ કરશે". NavGujarat Samay (in Gujarati). 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  11. "ગિરનાર રોપ-વેની કામગીરી સજ્જડ બંધ". Gujarat Mirror. 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  12. "Trial run of Girnar ropeway takes off". The Times of India. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  13. "Gujarat: Girnar ropeway may unveil on November 9". The Times of India. 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  14. Dave, Kapil (2020-10-15). "PM Narendra Modi to launch 3 projects in Gujarat via video". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  15. "VIDEO: Girnar Ropeway to be inaugurated by PM Modi today". www.indiatvnews.com. 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  16. "ગિરનાર રોપ વે : રોમાંચક પ્રોજેક્ટના નવા રૂપરંગ". sandesh.com (in Gujarati). Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  17. "એશિયાના સૌથી મોટા રોપવે પ્રોજેક્ટની કામગીરી પૂરજોશમાં શરૂ, હેલીકૉપટરથી કામ શરૂ". Zee News Gujarati. 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  18. "ક્યારે શરૂ થશે ગિરનાર રોપ-વે? પ્રોજેક્ટની રસ પડે એવી તમામ વિગતો એક ક્લિક પર". Zee News Gujarati. 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  19. Bhindora, Arjun; Pansheriya, Dhruv (August 2018). "Disaster Management Plan for Girnar Ropeway as per Environmental Setting at Mount Girnar" (PDF). International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences (IJEAS). 5 (8): 60–63. ISSN 2394-3661.
  20. "ગિરનાર પર ચડવું થશે સરળ, દેશના સૌથી લાંબા ગિરનારના રોપ-વે પ્રોજેક્ટનું કામ પૂરજોશમાં | Vtv Reality Check junagadh ropeway operations". www.vtvgujarati.com. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  21. "ગિરનાર રોપવે પ્રોજેક્ટની કામગીરી પુરજોશમાં શરૂ | DD News". ddnewsgujarati.com. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
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