Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh today laid foundation stone of Rs. 200 crore passenger rope-way at Jodha Niwas in Shimla. The passenger ropeway will connect the town from Tourist Information Centre to ISBT Tuttikandi to Lift and will finally connect the Ridge near Jodha Niwas. It will have four terminal stations. The total length of the ropeway will be 3600 meters.
The Project is being constructed by Usha Breco ltd and will cater 1000 (Passenger per Hour per Direction) PPHPD and will be completed within three and a half years.
The Chief Minister said that on completion, the project would give decisive push to improve the transport and tourism infrastructure and will ease traffic congestion. He said that ropeway would provide safe, economical and comfortable mode of transportation to the visitors and the local population.
He said that the State government was committed to strengthen the tourism in the State besides adventure and religious tourism. Himani-Chamunda ropeway was also coming up from near the Chamunda temple in Kangra district which will give much needed fillip to religious tourism, added Virbhadra Singh. He said that the foundation stone of Himani-Chamunda Project was also laid by him 22nd June 2015 to be constructed on PPP mode and the Breco company will pay 7.21 crore to the State Tourism Department annually.
Besides transporting the pilgrims and the tourists the ropeway project will also have restaurants, parking amenities, waiting halls, washrooms, toilets, gardens etc.
Shri Pankaj Rai, Commissioner, MC Shimla said that the municipal corporation would earn an income of Rs. 10.62 crore annually with an incremental increase of five percent every year which would be utilized for development of Shimla town.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated Nigam Suvidha Kendra at DC Office, Shimla. The main purpose of the Kendra is to implement‘Himachal Pradesh Service Guarantee Act 2011’. He said that all the facilities like issuance of Birth and Death Certificate, issuance of marriage certificate, BPL Certificate, Water and sewerage Connection, Approval of Building Plans, No Objection Certificate for electricity etc would be available under one roof.
Accompanying the Chief Minister were Industries Minister Shri Mukesh Agnihotri, Urban Development Minister Shri Sudhir Sharma, Mayor Shri Sanjay Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Shri Tikendar Panwar and Deputy Commissioner Shri Dinesh Malhotra, amongst others.