The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Two more ropeways for State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Two more ropeways for State

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JAN. 11. While the first ropeway at Srisailam is readied for inauguration on January 16, a second one is in the offing at the hill shrine town to give pilgrims a thrilling experience of passing over the Krishna at a height of about 300ft.

The third ropeway in the State is coming up at Tirupati to take pilgrims to the Tirumala hills from the Alipiri point. This will be the State's longest ropeway stretching over 6.2 km, carrying visitors over the hill ranges, offering them the rare sights of forests, valleys and waterfalls. The first ropeway is already working in Visakhapatnam, conveying tourists to the top of Kailasagiri. This is only 200 metres long.

Grandiose project

The Government wants to take up the second Srisailam ropeway as a grandiose project hung over three km connecting Eegalapenta which is the gateway to Srisailam from the Hyderabad side on the left bank of the river, with the Pataleswara guesthouse on the hilltop on the right bank near the temple.

The blueprint provides for construction of a massive parking space where the large number of pilgrims coming from the Hyderabad side can park their vehicles and reach the holy place by the ropeway avoiding a further 40-km distance and saving petrol. A guesthouse with restaurant facility will come up at the spot. The outlay for the project will be Rs. 12-15 crores.

`Jungle house'

According to C. Anjaneya Reddy, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, who gave this information to The Hindu here on Tuesday, a "jungle house" will be constructed in the forest a little away from the parking place where nature lovers can spend the night.

The Government is planning to use imported equipment for both Srisailam and Tirupati projects, engaging the world leader in ropeways from Austria, Messrs Dopple Meyers.

The corporation officials have taken up the issue of the Tirupati ropeway with the Government as the TTD had gone back on the earlier commitment citing "agama" rules prohibiting "akasa yana" over the hill ranges.

Mr. Reddy, however, referred to the Supreme Court judgment which upheld the ropeway plan saying the facility, in fact, would be environment-friendly avoiding smoke and sound on the ghat road and atop the hill.

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