Uttrakhand to build the world’s longest ropeway to connect Rudraprayag to Kedarnath. Soon the devotees will be able to visit the temple comfortably in less time. The ropeway project has already been initiated, and it will soon open for the public as the Detailed Project Report (DRP) for the ropeway from Hemkund Sahib to Kedarnath is ready.
The ropeway project will play a vital role in providing employment and income to the native people. In 2019, this hill station witnessed 37 million domestic tourist arrivals, showing the urgent need to provide better connectivity.
The union government plans to build ropeway lines across the state to increase connectivity, particularly to the prime tourist sites, including Kedarnath. Some projects such as Sonprayag-Gaurikund-Kedarnath, Govind ghat-Ghangaria-Hemkund, Rani bagh to Hanuman Temple in Nainital, Panch Koti-Baurari (New Tehri), Munsiyari to Khaliya Top, Rishikesh to Neelkanth and Auli to Gorson are take up National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML).
Among these, Sonprayag-Gaurikund-Kedarnath, which is almost 13 km long and costs more than Rs. 985 crore. Moreover, The Govind Ghat-Ghangaria-Hemkund ropeway projects have already begun, according to the reports.
This would be the longest ropeway in the world at an altitude of 11 500 feet above sea level. The only option to visit the temple is by bus or trekking, which takes around two hours from Dehradun and one hour from Rudraprayag. The ropeway will reduce the time taken by pilgrims to reach the Kedarnath shrine board from the Rudraprayag district and will enable devotees to travel from Sonprayag to Kedarnath in 60 minutes.