What is the News?
In Union Budget 2022-23, Union Finance Minister has announced that the National Ropeways Development Programme – “Parvatmala” will be initiated through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
What is the National Ropeways Development Programme?
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH)
Aim: To develop Ropeways in hilly areas of the country in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Around 8 ropeway projects for a length of 60 km would be awarded in 2022-23.
The programme will also cover congested urban areas, where conventional mass transit systems are not feasible.
The programme is being presently started in regions like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir and the other North-Eastern states.
What are the benefits of Ropeways?
Economical mode of transportation: Given that ropeway projects are built in a straight line over hilly terrain, it results in lower land acquisition costs. Hence, despite having a higher cost of construction per km than roadways, ropeway projects construction cost may happen to be more economical than roadways.
Faster mode of transportation: Owing to the aerial mode of transportation, ropeways have an advantage over roadway projects where ropeways can be built in a straight line, over a hilly terrain.
Environmentally friendly: Low dust emissions. Material containers can be designed to rule out any soiling of the environment.
Last-mile connectivity: Ropeway projects adopting 3S (a kind of cable car system) or equivalent technologies can transport 6000-8000 passengers per hour.
Ideal for difficult/challenging/sensitive terrain: This mode of transportation will enable mobility to people living in difficult areas and help them become part of the mainstream.
Flexible: Transport of different materials – A ropeway allows for the simultaneous transport of different types of material.
Ability to handle large slopes: Ropeways and cableways (cable cranes) can handle large slopes and large differences in elevation. Where a road or railroad needs switchbacks or tunnels, a ropeway travels straight up and down the fall line.
Source: This post is based on the article “Parvatmala-An efficient and safe alternate transport network” published in PIB on 8th Feb 2022.
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