Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL), the flagship firm of the Adani Group, announced on Monday that it has secured a Letter of Award (LoA) from the National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML) to develop the Sonprayag-Kedarnath ropeway in Uttarakhand. The project, worth Rs 4,081 crore, will be executed by AEL's Roads, Metro, Rail and Water (RMRW) division.
Journey time to shrink drastically
The 12.9 km ropeway aims to transform one of India's most difficult pilgrimages by cutting down the current 8-9 hour trek to just 36 minutes. Once operational, the ropeway will have the capacity to carry 1,800 passengers per hour per direction which is set to make travel safer and more comfortable for the 20 lakh devotees who visit the Kedarnath shrine annually.
Part of the Parvatmala scheme
The project is a part of the Government of India's National Ropeways Development Programme 'Parvatmala'. It will be developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model on a revenue-share basis with NHLML. As per details, the construction is expected to take six years after which Adani Enterprises will operate the ropeway for 29 years.
Adani calls it a bridge of faith and modernity
"The Kedarnath ropeway is more than an engineering project - it is a bridge between devotion and modern infrastructure," said Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group. He added, "By making this sacred journey safer, faster and more accessible, we honour the faith of millions while creating new opportunities for Uttarakhand's people through our partnership with NHLML and the Government of Uttarakhand."
Boost for tourism and employment
Apart from easing the pilgrimage, the project is expected to generate both direct and indirect employment opportunities, while boosting tourism and local businesses in Uttarakhand. Officials believe the ropeway will blend technological expertise with spiritual importance and offer pilgrims a safer passage while opening economic avenues for the region.
Expanding Adani's infrastructure footprint
It is to be noted here that Adani Enterprises entered the roads and highways sector in 2018 and has steadily grown its portfolio. As of now, the group handles 14 projects across Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), and Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) models, covering more than 5,000 lane kilometres. The Kedarnath ropeway is being hailed as a landmark project that strengthens both the nation's infrastructure and Uttarakhand's economy.
(With inputs from ANI)
