Guwahati’s long wait for ropeway over Brahmaputra finally comes to an end

By: Rokibuz Zaman
GUWAHATI: India’s largest river-crossing ropeway across the Brahmaputra river was opened to public on Monday, nearly 11 years after work started on it.
Aimed at aimed at boosting tourism and ensuring faster communication between north and south Guwahati, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while inaugurating it, said, “This is one of the most advanced and longest river-crossing aerial tramway system in India.” Guwahati development department minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya and MP Queen Ojah were for the iauguration.

Built at a cost of Rs 56.08 crore, the ropeway system has two cabins — each with a capacity of 30 passengers and one operator. It takes eight minutes to travel from one bank of the Brahmaputra to another.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted, “With the blessings of Umananda, we dedicate the ropeway between Guwahati and north Guwahati to the people of Assam. Apart from substantially reducing travel time, the ropeway will provide a breathtaking view of the mighty Brahmaputra and promote tourism in the state.”
The lower terminal of the tramway, which is 1,820 meters long, is located in front of the Nehru Park at Panbazar. The upper terminal is located in Rajadwar village behind the Dolgovinda Temple.
“It is a matter of pride and satisfaction that the longest river-crossing ropeway in India is in our state. This is also the first ropeway of the state,” Sarma said after the inauguration. He recalled how he had initiated talks back in 2003 about a ropeway project over the Brahmaputra. He later tweeted, “The ropeway was conceived by GoA as an enabling infra project for additional all-purpose transportation between two banks of river Brahmaputra.”
Umananda Doley, CEO of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority which executed the ropeway project, told TOI, “Every day, hundreds of people cross the Brahmaputra using ferries. However, these services get affected every year by floods. People will feel relaxed now as the ropeway will reduce the duration of their daily commute.”
The bi-cable jig-back ropeway was designed by Samir Damodar Ropeways Pvt. Ltd — a joint venture company floated by Damodar Ropeways and G.L. Construction. The construction was approved by the state government at a cost of Rs 28.17 crore on March 1, 2006. Work started in 2009 and the scheduled date for completion of the project was 24 months.
The work was on halt from February 2011 to December 2016 due to archaeological and funding issues and received clearance again in January 2017.