It took about 17 years and a cost of Rs 56 crore to complete the 1.8-kilometre-long– India’s longest — river ropeway — connecting the two banks of river Brahmaputra.
The longest river ropeway in India and the first ropeway in Assam will make life easy for hundreds of people who cross the Brahmaputra using ferry service which gets discontinued during monsoons when the water level in the river crosses the danger mark. The ropeway will reduce travel time between from central to northern Guwahati to just eight minutes. Currently, it takes 30 minutes or more, by ferry depending on current and season and over an hour by road through a bridge due to heavy traffic.
Each cabin on the ropeway imported from Switzerland will carry 30 passengers. This way some 250 persons would be able to cross the river at the same time every hour. However, in keeping with COVID-19 social distancing norms – during the initial stages only 15 people will be able to occupy each cabin.
One end of the ropeway will be near Panbazar in Guwahati and the other across the river in North Guwahati where IIT Guwahati is located.
One way journey via the cable car would cost Rs 60, while a both-side commute would cost Rs 100. Passengers can also be able to get a daily, weekly and monthly travel pass. The ropeway will be operational from 8 am till 6 pm.
To beef up the security about 60 CCTV cameras have been installed for round-the-clock surveillance.
Besides making life convenient for the locals, the ropeway is expected to provide a breathtaking view of the Brahmaputra river and promote tourism in the State. The aerial journey mid-river will cross Peacock Island that houses Umananda, a medieval Shiva temple.
The ropeway will hopefully turn out to be a non-polluting means of transport and environment-friendly tourism. Run by electric power it will be ecologically sustainable besides providing passenger comfort and speedy means of travel.
Guwahati is one of the fastest-growing cities of India with a population of 2.4 million in 2020, and area of over 360 km2, making it the largest city in the state and the largest city in the state of Assam. It also happens to be the second-largest metropolis in eastern India after Kolkata.
