Modi Inaugurates Asia’s Longest Temple Ropeway In Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ropeway or cable car on Girnar hill in Junagadh district, Gujarat through video conferencing. The cable way is touted as Asia’s longest temple ropeway.

The famous Amba and Dattatreya shrines are located on the Girnar hill, apart from many religious places, making it a famous pilgrim centre in Gujarat. The foundation stone for the ropeway project or Girnar hill was laid by Modi when he was the CM of Gujarat.

The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) proposed ropeway on the hill in 1983 by diverting a forest land. In 1993, the Gujarat government finalised diversion of the forest land and the project was given to Usha Breco Ltd. on Build-Operate-Transfer basis for a period of 98 years.

In September 2018, construction for the ropeway on the hill began and the inauguration was supposed to happen in May this year but it was delayed due to Covid-19.

The ropeway will carry people from Bhavnath Taleti to Amba temple which is 850 mt (2,800 ft) above the hill. It will cover 2.3 km in just 7.5 minutes.

The ropeway was constructed at a cost of Rs 130 crore and it can carry 1,000 passengers per hour but it will carry only 800 passengers per hour and 8,000 per day. In one run, 192 passengers will be able to travel by the cable lift.

One way fare of the ropeway is Rs 400 while the two-way fare is Rs 700. For children below 5-10 years, the fare is Rs 350 and the service is free for kids below 5 years.

The ropeway on Girnar hill comprises 25 carriages, including one glass-floored cabin, each having the capacity to carry 8 passengers at one time. Nine pillars have been erected for the project.

Modi also inaugurated ‘Kisan Suryodaya Yojana’ for the farmers in Gujarat and a Paediatric Heart Hospital attached with the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre and a Mobile Application for telecardiology at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.