By Shilpi Sen: Uttar Pradesh’s Kashi is all set to have a ropeway for urban transport, whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24. Sources claimed that this is going to be the first public transport ropeway in the country and the third in the world.
Swiss company Bartholet and National Highway Logistics Private Limited will build a 50-meter-high ropeway. Starting from Varanasi Cantt station and ending at Godaulia, there will be a total of five stations.
The cabin of the ropeway will have a European design, which will apparently have an advanced ventilation system for passengers to travel comfortably. Along with a comfortable seating arrangement, the ropeway will also enable people with disabilities to use their wheelchairs inside the car cabin. A single-car cabin will have space for ten passengers, which includes space for specially-abled passengers.
Project director National Highway Logistics Pvt Ltd Pooja Mishra said, “Efforts have been made to prepare it according to the vision of the prime minister so that Divyangjan (person with disabilities) can also travel comfortably.”
In order to soothe the travellers in summer, the windows used in the ropeway will be made of special material that will reflect the scorching rays of the sun. This will also regulate the temperature inside the cabin.
ALSO READ | India fulfilling resolution of global good through ‘One World TB Summit’: PM Modi in Varanasi
Pooja Mishra also said, “The design of the cabin has been prepared for the convenience of the passengers. Special arrangements for ventilation will be made in the ropeway, especially during the summer.”
In light of the traffic involved in going from one location to another inside Kashi, the transit ropeway will be quite beneficial for the commuters. Its route has been carefully designed so that apart from the common people, many domestic and foreign tourists can also travel.
The ropeway will enable travellers arriving from the Varanasi Cantt railway station to conveniently reach Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Dashashwamedh Ghat.
The objective of this ropeway is to reduce traffic congestion in major urban areas of Varanasi. It is scheduled to run with 150 car cabins, due to which as many as 6,000 people from both sides can travel in an hour.
