NF Railway plans ropeway to Kamakhya temple

Station facing Guwahati across the Brahmaputra marked for heritage preservation

August 17, 2022 01:28 pm | Updated 01:28 pm IST - GUWAHATI

A view of India’s longest river ropeway, in Guwahati. The 1.8-km-long ropeway connects the northern and southern banks of the Brahmaputra.

A view of India’s longest river ropeway, in Guwahati. The 1.8-km-long ropeway connects the northern and southern banks of the Brahmaputra. | Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is planning to construct a ropeway from the Kamakhya Railway Station to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.

The aerial distance between the railway station on the western end of the city and the temple atop the Nilachal Hills on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River is about 1.5 km.

“Kamakhya temple attracts a lot of pilgrims and visitors and the ropeway can add value to tourism in the principal city of Assam,” NFR’s general manager Anshul Gupta said during an Independence Day programme.

NFR officials said the project, in the proposal stage, would require the Assam government’s clearance.

If given the nod, this ropeway would be the second in the city after the 1,820-metre one connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati across the Brahmaputra. Opened in 2020, it is India’s longest ropeway across a river.

The NFR has also launched a heritage preservation drive at the old railway station at Amingaon, a part of North Guwahati. Before the 1,492-metre Saraighat rail-road bridge was opened in 1962, the Amingaon station was the terminal for trains to and from the rest of the country.

Mr. Gupta said the NFR recorded 43.03% more revenue from January-July this year than the corresponding period of 2021.

Among other projects, the railway zone eliminated 10 level crossing gates by constructing 28 roads under bridges and six road overbridges in the last seven months.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.