Himachal drops Rohtang ropeway project

To protect the livelihood of taxi drivers in Palchan tourism area, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on September 4 took a decision to cancel construction of Palchan-Rohtang Pass ropeway project in Kullu district. The proposed ropeway was planned to transport around 9,000 visitors between the two destinations every day to decongest the Manali-Leh road, which during peak season between May and July.

It is said that representatives of taxi operators in the area were fearing to lose business with construction of the proposed ropeway till Rohtang Pass. During May and July period the tourist spot witnesses heavy rush of tourists. The project to construct the 9-km-long ropeways connecting Palchan village with the 13,050-feet-high Rohtang Pass was mooted by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government in 2009. The Congress government itself had in last July decided to ask successful bidders to deposit Project Development Success Fee as per provisions of the Request for Proposal (RFP) document for construction of Bhuntar-Bijli Mahadev and Palchan-Rohtang ropeways.