New Delhi, March 6 -- The Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the construction of ropeways at Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand, in a move that will significantly cut travel time to the two popular pilgrimage sites.
Both will be complete in four to six years and built at a combined cost of Rs.6,811 crore, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
The 12.9km ropeway at Kedarnath will begin at Sonprayag, 16km away on foot, and have a stop at Gaurikund. The 12.4km Hemkund Sahib project will start at Govindghat and stop at Hemkund Sahib with a stop at Ghangaria in between.
According to a government release, "The ropeway project would provide an environment-friendly, comfortable and fast connectivit...