On August 24, 2020 The Guwahati Passenger Ropeway Project connecting the Northern and Southern banks of the Brahmaputra River was inaugurated by the Assam State Minister of Finance, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Guwahati Development Department(GDD) Minister, Siddhartha Bhattacharya. The ropeway service is 1.8 Kilometres long, making it the longest ropeway distance over a river in the entire country.
The project is set to become operational by August 24, 2021 and has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 56 Crore.
Key Points:
i.The ropeway service will cover the distance in seven-eight minutes reducing the travel time between Guwahati &North Guwahati by almost one hour.
ii.The lower terminal of the ropeway is at Kachari Ghat in Guwahati’s Panbazar, while the upper terminal is at Rajadwar village behind Dol Govinda Temple in North Guwahati.
iii.Even Though the capacity of the cabin is 32 passengers, in order to maintain social distancing protocols due to the Pandemic only 15 passengers will be allowed in the initial phases.
iv.The ropeway gives the passengers a glimpse of the Umananda Temple on Peacock Island and the Kamakhya shrine in the Neelachal hills.
v.The rope car service will give a major boost to tourism in Guwahati and will also greatly reduce the traffic congestion.
Recent Related News:
i.On July 7, 2020 The Chief Minister (CM) of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal announced the upgradation of Poba Reserve Forest, a vital biodiversity hotspot in Dhemaji district of Assam, as a wildlife sanctuary.
ii.On 25th June 2020, The National Green Tribunal (NGT) formed a high level committee headed by Justice BP Katakey, former High Court judge of Gauhati, to investigate the blowout at Assam’s Baghjan oil well of Oil India Limited(OIL).
About Assam:
Capital – Dispur
Chief Minister – Sarbananda Sonowal
National Parks – Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Nameri National Park, The Orang National Park.
