Work on ropeway to be completed by June

SAMBALPUR: Work on the ropeway, which will connect Jawahar Udyan with Gandhi Minar near Hirakud Dam Project (HDP) here, is going on in full swing. The Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC) is executing the work.Senior Manager of OCC BK Sahu said civil work for installation of three towers has already been completed. Work on fourth tower near Gandhi Minar is underway and will be completed shortly. Altogether four towers will be erected.

At present, erection of posts at those places where civil work has been completed is also underway. The OCC has set a target to complete the work by the end of June, he informed.Kolkata-based company Damodar Ropeways and Infra Limited (DRIL) had begun work on the project in April 2016 and the company had set a target to complete the work within a year.

However, DRIL was forced to suspend the work halfway in September, 2016 after the Water Resources department failed to get permission to fell 61 trees which became barrier for construction of terminal at Gandhi Minar. The work resumed after a gap of about eight months in May, 2017 after felling of the trees by Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC).

Gandhi Minar located on the top of a hill is a watch tower which provides a bird’s eyeview of the Hirakud Dam Reservoir. Jawahar Udyan is a park below the dam. Both the destinations attract tourists from across the country.

The distance between Jawahar Udyan and Gandhi Minar is around 421 metres. There will be 12 cabins to travel on the ropeway with each cabin having a capacity to carry four passengers at a time. The estimated cost of the project is `6.26 crore, while Mahanadi Coalfields Limited had allocated the fund to the department, which manages the HDP. The department had finalised OCC for execution of the work.
The ropeway, which will be first of its kind project in the region, is likely to attract more tourists to Hirakud after completion of the project.