India, 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 during a press briefing.

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 will be a boon to the pilgrims visiting Kedarnath...