Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 25: While the State Government was still grappling with problems to even start work on two ropeway projects of Jammu—tourist resort of Patnitop and Mubarak Mandi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) was likely to commission its two ropeways-one passenger and another material-in December next year i.e. within a period of one year from now.
Official sources told the Excelsior that work was on at multi-crore ropeway projects of the Shrine Board and if everything goes well, both the ropeway projects would be commissioned in December 2016. The projects will be very useful for thousands of pilgrims visiting holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji as well as the Shrine Board.
One of the passenger ropeways is being constructed from Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan to Bhairon Ghati, a distance of about two kilometers while the material ropeway is being constructed from Siar Dabri in Katra to Bhawan.
Sources said `Bicable Jig Back’ (double reversible) system ropeway project being constructed by M/s RITES, a Government of India Enterprise, for the Shrine Board from Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan to Bhairon Ghati, will be able to carry 800 passengers per hour i.e. it will be able to carry 9600 passengers during 12 hours of the day to Bhairon Ghati and back.
The ropeway project is being constructed with latest modernized technology.
Presently, most of the pilgrims avoid visiting Bhairon Ghati due to treacherous two kilometers track from Bhawan with steep ascent. With the commissioning of ropeway project, nearly 10,000 pilgrims will be able to visit Bhairon Ghati through ropeway alone. A number of pilgrims undertake journey to Bhairon Baba temple, located at the height of 6619 feet from the sea level.
Sources said the ropeway project from Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan to Bhairon Ghati and vice versa could also lead to increase in number of the pilgrims visiting the shrine as the people would also like to take joyride on the cable car project, which will be first of its kind in the entire Jammu region.
“The project is being constructed in such a way that normal flow of yatra to Mata Vaishno Devi ji Bhawan and Bhairon Ghati was not affected. The people, who want to undertake journey to Bhairon temple on foot or mules and palkis etc, will be able to do that as usual,” they added.
Meanwhile, material ropeway being constructed by M/s RITES for the Shrine Board from Siar Dabri in Katra to Bhawan, was also expected to be ready by December next year. It was also ‘Bicable Jig Back’ (double reversible) system having capacity to carry 5 tons material per houses. In a day, it will be able to lift 60 tons material of the Shrine Board from Katra to Bhawan.
The Shrine Board had to face lot of difficulties in lifting the material to Sanji Chat and Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan especially in the wake of increased demand at its food outlets, construction activities etc due to increase in the pilgrimage.
It may be mentioned here that the State Government for the past several years has been groping in dark over the construction of two ropeways at tourist resort of Patnitop and Mubarak Mandi. Work on none of the two projects has even started so far. There is no ropeway project in Jammu.
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