The Kedarnath Ropeway has been approved in the meeting of the National Board of Wildlife. With the construction of a 13 km long ropeway from Sonprayag to Kedarnath, the distance to the Dham will be completed in 30 minutes. In the board meeting, permission has also been given for the new construction of about five and a half kilometer walkway from Rambada to Garudchatti.
According to Principal Secretary (Forests) RK Sudhanshu, the permission of the Board is not required for the Hemkund Sahib ropeway. For this, the Ministry of Forest and Environment has already given approval. This proposal was put in the board meeting, in which the need for taking approval again was not considered.
According to the Principal Secretary, in a meeting chaired by the Union Forest and Environment Minister in Delhi, permission has been given for construction of ropeway from Sonprayag to Kedarnath. No environment clearance is required for ropeway construction from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib.
However, permission will have to be taken from the State Forest Department. Only after this the construction of this ropeway of about 12 km will be started. According to the Principal Secretary Forest, .983 hectares of forest land is coming in the reconstruction of the old walkway in Kedarnath.
Forest land transfer has been approved in the board meeting. The construction of Kedarnath Dham ropeway will cost 1200 crores and Hemkund Sahib to Govindghat will cost Rs 850 crores. National Highway Logistics Management Limited, an agency of NHAI, has prepared the DPRs of both the ropeways.
8 Hours walk will be completed in 30 minutes by Ropeway
Kedarnath Dham, situated at an altitude of eleven and a half thousand feet above sea level, is about 18 to 20 kilometers walk from Sonprayag. Travelers take about eight hours to cover it. With the construction of ropeway, this distance will be completed in 30 minutes. This area comes under Kedarnath Forest Division Gopeshwar.