Defunct ropeway lets down tourists flocking Hirakud

SAMBALPUR: The high season has kicked-off with the advent of winter, but tourists flocking Hirakud Dam are leaving the place disappointed with the major attraction - the ropeway- lying defunct for the last more than a month.

The ropeway connecting Jawahar Udyan with Gandhi Minar at Hirakud, became a hit with the tourists since it was launched in 2019. However, the service was stopped from October 10 this year due to technical glitches and has been lying unused since then. After being disrupted due to the first and second Covid waves in 2020 and 2021, the ropeway service was resumed on August 15 this year. 

Enforcement officer of Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) Subhankar Mohanty said the ropeway service has been closed for repair works. There is a need for splicing the ropes which have loosened up. The repair work will be carried out at an estimated cost of `1.5 lakh. The work order has already been issued to Damodar Ropeways and Infra Limited (DRIL), the firm which has been entrusted with the maintenance of the ropeway. The repair work will start soon.

Mohanty further informed that there is also a need for changing the hanger of a few trolleys. However, it will be reviewed only after the rope splicing work is over. However, official sources at SMC informed that the services may not resume soon after maintenance as DRIL is not interested in running the ropeway due to dues pending with Odisha Construction Corporation Limited (OCCL).

Reportedly, the OCCL, which implemented the ropeway project, had agreed to pay a fixed amount to DRIL towards its operation. However, the corporation has not cleared the dues since the last several months citing shortage of funds and this has led to a dispute with DRIL.

Launched on November 26, 2019, the ropeway provides tourists a  bird eye view of the  vast reservoir and the dam while going up from Jawahar Udyan, a beautiful park, to the Gandhi Minar watch tower. Currently, it is operating with 12 trolleys. Around 500-700 tourists used the ropeway on usual days and the number went up to 1,000 during weekends and the high season.