BHUBANESWAR: Work on the aerial ropeway project in Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) will start this month after a long wait of around 10 years. Forest Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha will lay the foundation stone for the project at a State-level Wildlife Week function on Friday, October 8, 2021.
NZP deputy director Sanjeet Kumar said the park had signed an agreement with Kolkata-based Damodar Ropeway Infra Limited (DRIL) on October 5 to construct the project and make it functional within 18 months. The government has accorded all necessary permissions to the firm for the project which will be implemented on PPP mode at an approximate cost of Rs 13 crore.
The ropeway will be constructed with mono-cable pulsated over 626 metre with two towers. While 12 cabins will be operated, each of these will have the capacity to accommodate three persons. The ticket cost has been fixed at Rs 95 plus GST.
Meanwhile, the toy train facility at Nandankanan, which was stopped in 2014, will resume from Friday. It will be inaugurated by Arukha. The engine and coaches have been procured from a New Delhi-based firm at a cost of around Rs 82 lakh.