Shri Gadkari calls for making ropeways economically viable by bringing down overall project cost and encouraging Public Private Partnership
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari said more than 200 projects at a cost of Rs 1.25 lakh crore have been identified in coming five years under National Ropeways Development Programme, “Parvatmala Pariyojana”.
Addressing ‘Ropeway : Symposium-Cum-Exhibition’ in New Delhi today he said our foremost priority should be to make ropeways economically viable by bringing down the overall project cost and encourage Public Private Partnership to develop the ropeway network in the country. He said apart from facilitating tourism in the hilly areas, the ropeway offers huge potential in the urban public transport as well. He said focus should be in developing indigenous and cost-Efficient solutions without compromising safety. The Union Minister said Ropeways hold immense potential to positively impact tourism and job creation in the country.
Shri Gadkari said India is on its path to become a $5 Trillion economy and achieve the dream of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. He said today, our economy stands at 5th position, and we aim to reach 3rd position . The Union Minister said focus is on time-bound, Cost-Efficient, Qualitative and Sustainable infrastructure development. He said creation of ‘World-Class’ infrastructure ensures ‘Ease of Living’ of citizens and Socio-economic development in the region.
Shri Gadkari said priority is to bring standardization of existing policies & codes and transform the Ropeway industry by encouraging the manufacturing of Ropeway Components under the “Make in India” initiative.
The Union Minister said 60% Construction Support is provided under Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM for Ropeways) as compared to 40% support provided under National Highways to attract more private players for development of ropeways under Parvatmala Pariyojana .
In his address to the investors at the Symposium, Shri Anurag Jain, Secretary, MoRTH said. “Development of infrastructure directly correlates to improved quality of life for the citizens. The Government of India has taken various initiatives that have not only streamlined working within the Government departments but has also enhanced ‘Ease of doing Business’ in the country. This is the right time to invest in India as for foreseeable future India will remain one of the fastest growing major economy in the world.”
Addressing the audience on ‘Infrastructure Growth in India’, NHAI Chairman, Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav shared details about development of various flagship projects under Bharatmala Pariyojana and highlighted the multiplier effect it will have on the Indian economy.
The objective of the ‘Symposium-cum-Exhibition’ was to enable industry collaborations between various Indian and global manufacturers, technology providers, concessionaires and infrastructure developers. The event also provided a common platform for industry deliberation to promote ‘Make in India’ and develop a roadmap for localization of ropeway components. Various panel discussions with industry experts were also held on building safer & affordable ropeway systems while improving ropeway industry landscape and enhancing Public Private Partnerships in India.
The highlights of the day were the Award of two ropeway projects viz. Bijli Mahadev Ropeway Project in the State of Himachal Pradesh & Dhosi Hill Ropeway project in the State of Haryana.
The day also marked the signing of MoU between NHLML and IIT Roorkee for creating a center of excellence for Ropeways and other innovative alternate mobility systems.
A session on promoting wayside amenities to improve public convenience was also held. In addition, the exhibition demonstrated state-of-art ropeway technologies by Indian and Global Ropeway Equipment manufacturers in the aerial mobility ecosystem.
The day long ‘Symposium-cum-Exhibition’ provided key insights and helped to identify areas for development of policies that will go a long way to promote indigenous manufacturing and enhance capacity & capability of ropeway technology. The symposium also underlined the pivotal role ropeways will play in the growth of Indian economy by enabling development of safer, cost-effective & sustainable mode of transportation under the National Ropeways Development Program.
