The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the construction of a 12.4 km ropeway connecting Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib, a revered pilgrimage site at an altitude of 15,000 feet in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.
The project, to be developed under the Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) model, is estimated to cost Rs. 2,730.13 crore.
Hemkund Sahib, a Gurudwara dedicated to the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, is open for about five months each year, from May to September, drawing between 1.5 and 2 lakh pilgrims annually.
Currently, reaching Hemkund Sahib involves a strenuous 21-km uphill trek from Govindghat, which pilgrims typically navigate on foot or using ponies and palanquins. The new ropeway will significantly ease this journey, providing all-weather last-mile connectivity for devotees and tourists visiting Hemkund Sahib and the nearby Valley of Flowers.
The proposed ropeway will be constructed in a public-private partnership, with two phases of technology integration. The first phase will feature a Monocable Detachable Gondola (MDG) system from Govindghat to Ghangaria, covering 10.55 km. The second phase will utilize the advanced Tricable Detachable Gondola (3S) technology to connect Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib over a distance of 1.85 km. The system will have a design capacity of 1,100 passengers per hour in each direction, transporting up to 11,000 passengers daily.
In addition to being a spiritual destination, the trek to Hemkund Sahib is the gateway to the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its stunning biodiversity. The new ropeway will provide a seamless and efficient way for visitors to access this natural wonder, fostering tourism and economic growth in the region.
