*Admn fails to construct 1.5 km road for helipad in 3 yrs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 17: In a glaring example of slack approach towards the projects aimed at giving necessary fillip to tourism promotion in Jammu region, the much talked about cable car project for Shiv Khori Shrine situated in Reasi district has remained confined to the official statements despite lapse of more than five years. Shockingly, the Board, governing the management of this revered shrine, has issued directions for exploring the feasibility of this project despite being aware of the fact that two different alignments of cable car have already been proposed after detailed survey.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that cable car project for Shiv Khori Shrine was first announced in the year 2011 by the then Tourism Minister while chairing a meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation. It was stated that Shiv Khori which has earned much prominence as a major pilgrimage destination in Jammu region was best for ropeway project.
In the meeting, the Managing Director of Cable Car Corporation was directed to start groundwork and initiate geo-technical and pre-feasibility survey at Shiv Khori and submit the project plan for approval in a time bound manner.
Thereafter, Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation in the year 2013 explicitly told the Committee on Public Undertakings that the Corporation was exploring the possibilities of cable car project for Shiv Khori Shrine as per the decision taken in the meeting chaired by the then Tourism Minister in the year 2011. The Public Undertakings Committee also reflected this in its report tabled on the floor of both the Houses of State Legislature in early 2014.
Before the submission of report by the Committee on Public Undertakings, a team of experts including the then Managing Director of J&K Cable Car Corporation, representatives of Government of India Enterprise M/s RITES and officers of the Forest Department conducted a detailed survey for the cable car project in the month of June 2013.
Thereafter, two separate Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) were prepared mentioning two separate alignments-one by Cable Car Corporation and another by M/s RITES, sources said while disclosing that decision to prepare second DPR was taken in the light of objections from certain quarters about the location of take-off point of the project.
“Instead of taking decision as to which alignment would be most suited for the cable car and involved less cost, the Shiv Khori Shrine Board in its 9th meeting held recently issued directions to the concerned departments for exploring feasibility of cable car project. Even no time-frame was fixed for this exercise”, sources informed. In this way, the project, which would not only generate revenue but also provide an alternate mode of travelling to the holy cave, has remained confined to the papers only.
Stating that no time-frame can be fixed for project becoming a reality even in near future, sources said, “following decision about the alignment, the Shrine Board will also have to explore the source of funding the project and it would be only after this vital step that work on ground would begin”.
Similar is the fate of proposal about start of heli-services from the base camp to the cave shrine on the analogy of chopper service to Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine, sources said while disclosing that despite lapse of three years, the administration has failed to construct 1.5 kilometer long approach road to the helipad.
“There are certain landslide prone points on this road besides a rivulet over which a bridge is required to be constructed but despite lapse of considerable period of time neither all weather road could be constructed nor the bridge”, sources said, adding the Shrine Board has now fixed two months time for completion of vital bridge on the approach road to helipad so that before approaching aviation companies for start of heli-services the required infrastructure is put in place.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Ravinder Kumar, who is Vice-Chairman of Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board, confirmed that Board has decided to consult J&K Cable Car Corporation and M/s RITES for exploring the feasibility of cable car project. About heli-services, he said, “several aviation companies have evinced interest in start of chopper services but they want us to put in place the infrastructure required for the same”.
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