GUWAHATI: The long pending Guwahati passenger ropeway project connecting the northern and southern banks of the Brahmaputra River will be commissioned in September 2019.
The chief executive officer (CEO) of Guwahati Metropolitan Developmental Authority (GMDA), Moloy Bora said, “The trial run is going on and all the work for the safety of the passengers is underway. The ropeway will be commissioned in September.”
The project was scheduled to have been commissioned in May, 2011, but work was stopped by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in February, 2011. Permission for tilt rectification of well foundation number 2 (pillar T-2) was not given at Urvashi Island.
The GMDA received the permission in 2015, but with a condition of relocating the pillar (T-2) 300 metres away from the Urvashi Island.
Accordingly the pillar has been constructed at the south bank (near Kamrup Metro Deputy Commissioner’s office), and construction work for all the four pillars have been completed, a GMDA source said.
The distance of the ropeway is 1.8 kilometres with the south bank station situated inside the forest campus near Kamrup Metro Deputy Commissioner’s office and the north bank station at a hillock behind Doul Govinda temple. There are two cabins with a passenger capacity of 30 persons each.
Talking about the speed of the ropeway, a source in GMDA said, “It will take approximately 8 minutes to cover the distance of 1.8 kilometres but the technicians are still working on the speed so it may slightly faster or slower than this.”
In 2008 Samir Damodor Ropeways Pvt Ltd was awarded the construction work on turnkey design and execution basis and the same agency has carried out the work.
The GMDA source said that though the permission to continue with the ropeway project was received from the Centre in 2015, the then state government did not immediately sanction the funds. After the new government came to power, the project was put on the priority list.
The source also said that during monsoon seasons it was difficult to continue the construction activities as the water level of the river remained high causing delays.
The ropeway project was earlier assigned to GMDA in 2006. RITES prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) in 2006. The foundation stone of the project was laid on 4/12/2009. The ropeway work was stalled in February, 2011 but work resumed in 2016.
Rs 28 crores extra invested in Ghy-N/Ghy ropeway project
The ropeway project was assigned to Guwahati Metropolitan Developmental Authority (GMDA) in 2006 with an estimated budget of Rs 27.73 crores but an extra Rs 28 crores was required to complete the project.
The budget of the project has increased from Rs 27.73 crores to Rs 55.73 crores. GMDA had, till 2011, spent Rs 22 crores on the project.
A GMDA source said, “By November 2011, imported equipments worth Rs 7.5 crores had arrived,” adding that around Rs 22 crores was spent till then in constructing the foundations of the pillars including the defunct well number 2 (old pillar T-2).
Explaining why extra budget was required, the source said that since the work resumed in 2016, Rs 12.24 crores was used for construction of pillars with the new increased height which is 600 metres now. Earlier the height of the ropeway was estimated at 400 metres. And Rs 3.12 crores was used to procure additional ropeway components, the source claimed.
He also explained that in the initial estimated budget, the expenses for development of the stations were not estimated.
Therefore a good amount of money was required for construction of roads, parking lots and other station developmental requirements, the source explained.
The station beatification work is underway on a war footing.
Dream to reality
. The ropeway project was assigned to GMDA in 2006 with an administrative sanction of Rs 27.73 crores
. GMDA was asked to engage IIT, Guwahati or RITES as consultant for preparation of DPR and for project management services
RITES prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) in 2006
. The alignment was finalized passing over Umananda Island connecting the south bank inside Forest Campus near DC Office and north bank at the hillock behind the Doul Gobinda Temple with due consideration of the heritage status of Urvasi and Umananda islands
. In 2008, M/S Samir Damodor Ropeways Pvt Ltd was awarded the construction work on turnkey design and execution basis
The foundation stone of the project was laid on 4/12/2009 by the then chief minister of Assam and thereafter construction started
. The ropeway was scheduled to be commissioned by May 2011, but the work was stopped by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in February 2011
. GMDA did not get permission for tilt rectification of well foundation No-2 from Urvasi Island citing introduction of new ASI Act, 2010
. By November 2011 all imported equipments worth Rs 7.5 crores had arrived
. An amount of Rs 22.00 crores was spent till then
. 72% of the work was completed till February 2011
. A proposal was submitted for NOC by GMDA on 15th July 2014 to the competent authority
. National Monument Authority (NMA) rejected the NOC application they received through the competent authority on 13th October 2014
. Competent authority informed GMDA that the application was rejected on 31st October 2014
. In April 2015, NMA granted permission to GMDA to go ahead with the project
. GMDA approached the then Congress government for additional funds to resume the work of the project but failed to get any response
. The new BJP government, after taking charge, put the project on priority list
. An additional Rs 28 crores was required to complete the project in all aspects
. The construction of all the pillars is complete
. The trial run is going on and technicians are working on the speed and the safety
. The station completion work is being done on war footing
. The ropeway project will be commissioned in September
