SAMBALPUR: Work on the much-awaited ropeway, connecting Jawahar Udyan with Gandhi Minar near Hirakud Dam Project (HDP) here, is likely to be completed by October.
Senior Manager of Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC) BK Sahu said civil work of the ropeway project is almost complete. The four towers required for the ropeway have already been installed. The remaining mechanical work will be completed by September following which the trial run of the ropeway will begin, he said.
OCC, which is executing the ropeway project, has set a target to complete the work by October. Earlier, the Corporation had set June deadline for project completion. However, the work was delayed due to rain, Sahu said.
A Kolkata-based company Damodar Ropeways and Infra Limited (DRIL) had begun work on the project in April, 2016. The firm had set a target to complete the work within a year. However, DRIL was forced to suspend the work midway in September after the Water Resources department did not get permission to fell 61 trees for construction of the terminal at Gandhi Minar side.
Later, work resumed after a gap of about eight months in May, 2017 after the trees were felled by Odisha Forest Development Corporation.While Gandhi Minar is located on the top of a hill, the park, Jawahar Udyan, is situated below Hirakud Dam. The Minar is a watch tower above the dam and provides a bird’s eye view of the vast reservoir. Both the destinations are tourist destination and attract visitors from across the country.
The distance between Jawahar Udyan and Gandhi Minar is around 421 metres. The ropeway will consist of 12 cabins with each having a capacity to carry four passengers at a time. The estimated cost of the project is `6.26 crore.The ropeway, which will be the first of its kind project in the region, is likely to attract more number of tourists to Hirakud after its completion.