Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today called on Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi and requested him to approve a grant Rs. 500 crore for implementation of ropeway projects in the State.
Chief Minister said that the state government has decided to use ropeway system as an alternative eco-friendly transport solution to decongest cities, tribal areas and high mountainous passes. He said that for this the State Government has established Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation Limited as a single nodal agency for providing innovative alternative solutions to mobility problems in urban and rural areas of the State.
Jai Ram Thakur said that the corporation aims to use ropeways and other rapid transport system for solving the problem ever increasing traffic and limited mode of alternative transportation in the State. He said that since construction of ropeways being overhead mode transportation does not require much land acquisition and deforestation and could be executed in very short span of time. He said that the state needs assistance of the Union Government for implementation of these transport projects in the State which were in line with the Union Minister’s dream of providing overhead (ropeways and sky bus) connectivity in congested areas and far flung unconnected habitations.
Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to provide liberal assistance to the state under the proposed ‘Parvat Mala’ scheme so that alternative mode of transportation could be provided to the commuters.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari assured the Chief Minister that their demands would be considered sympathetically.
Member of Parliament Kishan Kapoor, Ram Saroop and Suresh Kashyap, Secretary Transport, Government of India Sanjeev Ranjan, Additional Chief Secretary cum Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr. Shrikant Baldi, Principal Secretary, PWD J.C. Sharma and Principal Private Secretary Vinay Singh were also present in the meeting.