Pilgrims heading to Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu & Kashmir will soon be able to cover a part of the mountainous track using a ropeway from Katra to Ardhquari with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on Tuesday giving in-principle approval to the much-delayed project in a meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Board’s Chairman and Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. KK Sharma, a member of the Board and Chairman of the AIMIL Pharmaceuticals, said that the project was pending for quite some time. In 2017, RITES found the project to be feasible.  It was taken up in the 69th meeting of the newly constituted Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, he added.

The temple is situated at an altitude of 5,200 feet, about 12 km from Katra. As per the proposal, a 1,281.20-metre long ropeway will be constructed with a maximum height of 590.75 meters.

It will have the capacity to carry 1,500 people on one side per hour with each cabin having a capacity of eight persons. While its construction is estimated at Rs 94.23 crore, RITES says 63 per cent of the operating cost can be recovered if per passenger travel fee is kept at Rs 200. Presently, pilgrims heading to Vaishno Devi shrine have the option to visit Bhairon Nath Mandir with ease with the help of a ropeway that was inaugurated in 2018.

The pilgrim footfall at the shrine was over 55.77 lakh in 2021, compared to 17 lakh the previous year due to the coronavirus pandemic, informed Sharma.

He said that with the approval of the much-awaited project, construction of the ropeway will begin soon.