HYDERABAD: Pilgrims relax. Your prayers are answered, at last. Now you can worship, minus the fatigue. The ordeal of reaching your favourite shrine huffing and puffing will be a thing of the past soon.

dargah situated atop hills in the State will have ropeways to reach. The State Wakf Board has decided to provide this facility at four dargah for convenience of devotees. The ambitious project will be executed by Kolkata-based company Conveyor & Ropeway Services Private Ltd.

Will the cash-strapped Wakf Board be able to foot the bill? No need to worry on that count. The project will be implemented on BOT - Built Operate and Transfer basis. The Board will not spend a single pie. "We will only provide the space and logistic support," Board's special officer, Anwarul Huda, told The Hindu .

Shortlisted

The Moulali Dargah, Pahadi Shariff, Kohe Imam Zamin in the city and the Bada Pahad Dargah in Nizambad are chosen for the ropeway project. These shrines are located on hills and pilgrims have to climb 300 to 500 steps to reach them. Devotees, particularly old persons and women, have difficulty ascending the steps. The project is primarily to address their problem. Recently Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi visited some of these dargah on his visit to the city. Once the ropeway is in place, the number of visitors and tourists are expected to increase. And so will the revenue.

At present Kailasagiri, the popular tourist spot in Vishakapatnam, has this facility. Here also the same Kolkata firm has executed the ropeway project at a cost of Rs. 2 crore. An amount of Rs. 18 for one way and Rs. 35 for two-way is charged here. Experts from the company will be visiting the city to make the feasibility report. But before that, the Board has to furnish details about the height, length and number of visitors to these shrines, it is said.

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