Shimla, Nov. 5 -- Amid growing dissent over the proposed Bijli Mahadev Ropeway Project in Kullu district, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said that the state government will go by Centre's decision on the project, adding that the work has already started and tree cutting has been completed. The Bijli Mahadev ropeway is a Union government's project under the Parvatmala Yojana, also known as the National Ropeways Development Programme - designed to offer a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional road transport in hilly areas. Union minister Nitin Gadkari had laid the foundation stone of the ropeway project in March 2024. The project from Pirdi to Bijli Mahadev is to be built at an estimated cost of Rs.284 crore with a capacity of 36,000 passenger trips per day. The project, funded by the Centre, is being executed by the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) and is expected to be completed by year 2026. The project has secured stage-1 in-principal permission from the environment ministry. The project developer has already submitted the costs, including of trees to be cut, and the environmental compensation for the forest land to be diverted for the project. "All stakeholders' sentiments will be respected, but the project has already started. Objections should have come before tree cutting began," Sukhu said. "This is a 50-50 joint venture project with the Centre. Since the Prime Minister has assigned this matter to JP Nadda, whatever decision he takes will be implemented, keeping in mind people's sentiments," said Sukhu while stressing that this project is important for the development of tourism in Kullu, but the government fully respects the traditions and sentiments of the gods and goddesses. Sukhu said that all religious formalities related to the project have been completed and that the central government has done a significant financial investment. He also said that local MLA Sunder Thakur has a special interest in the project and is constantly working towards the development of the area. In the 2.3 km long ropeway project, one cable car will have the capacity to seat 10 people. The ropeway will reduce the travel time for a three-hour journey to just seven minutes and will have all weather connectivity. The residents of Kharal valley, which lies at the foothills of the Bijli Mahadev temple, have been holding protests against the project. They say that the ropeway would destroy the hill of Bijli Mahadev, pointing towards the cracking up at several places. A delegation led by former member of Parliament Maheshwar Singh, comprising members of the Bijli Mahadev Sangharsh Samiti and the Bijli Mahadev Mandir Committee, met a three-member panel headed by Union health minister JP Nadda in New Delhi on Monday and apprised the minister of widespread resentment against the project. The delegation presented a comprehensive dossier detailing past protests, environmental concerns and the verdict of deities during a recent Jagati - a divine assembly held recently in Nagar in Kullu district. The panel would forward the report to the Prime Minister. The government is set to establish a state-of-the-art road safety control and command centre in Hamirpur, said CM Sukhu after flagging off 66 patrol vehicles on Tuesday. These vehicles include 35 electric vehicles, 14 interceptors, 10 wreckers and 7 WD diesel vehicles. These vehicles have been purchased by the police department under the Himachal Pradesh state roads transformation project (HPSRTP), funded by the World Bank and will be deployed at various police stations in 10 districts of the state including Shimla, Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur, Una, Bilaspur, Kullu, Sirmaur, Solan and Chamba. Speaking on the occasion Sukhu said, "A state-of-the-art road safety control and command centre will be established in Hamirpur at a cost of approximately Rs.30 crore as part of the integrated road safety enforcement system, which would be connected to modern cameras being installed across the state." "The police department will use this system for e-challans, traffic monitoring and ensuring discipline and safety on the roads. This centre would not only strengthen road safety but would also help generate additional revenue for the state," he added. Sukhu said that the state government's objective was not only to reduce road accidents but also to develop a safe and disaster-resilient transport system. He added that road accidents had consistently declinedover the past three years in the state. Chief minister also reviewed the functioning of the technical education department and reiterated the state government's commitment of providing quality technical education to the students within the state. The chief minister expressed concern over the vacant buildings and said that seven buildings constructed at a cost of Rs.126.45 crore between the year 2018 to 2023 were lying vacant. He directed the department to formulate an action plan for the optimum utilisation of these buildings in public interest, adding that wastage of public funds in the name of mereconstruction was not acceptable. Sukhu instructed the department to grade the industrial training institutes and polytechnic colleges as per the enrolment of the students, overall performance and other facilities available in these institutions....