WAPCOS, Doppelmayr sign MoU for ropeway projects in India

WAPCOS is a leading engineering consultancy organisation of the Government of India, which has grown into an Indian multinational with projects in over 45 countries across the world. Doppelmayr, Austria is the world’s largest ropeway manufacturers with cutting-edge ropeway technologies. It has set up more than 15,000 ropeway installations across the world.  

The MoU includes the entire gamut of preparing feasibility studies, detailed project reports, construction, equipment supply, operation and maintenance. It will enable development of ropeway projects in various states using globally accepted standards for passenger safety and reliability. These projects will not only reduce traffic congestion and pollution, but will also contribute towards development of tourism destinations and provide impetus to employment generation in the country, Nitin Gadkari, minister for road transport & highways, shipping, water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, said.

Speaking at the function, the minister stressed upon the need to cut down congestion and resultant pollution in cities. Reiterating his commitment for promoting transport innovations that are pollution free and cost effective, he said that ropeways, cable cars, funicular railways can be very useful means of transport for hilly and difficult terrains and act as last mile connectivity options in congested cities. He said these transport options would also be very useful for tier two cities and hoped these would motivate people to shift from personal to public transport.

Gadkari said, cable cars and ropeways have already proven to be successful in countries like Bolivia, Vietnam, Switzerland. The government, he said, is exploring the use of new kinds of vehicles like hybrid aeroboats that combine land, water and aviation technology and can run on land, water and air at speeds greater than 80 km per hour. 

The minister informed that ten national waterways, including Ganga, are being developed for transport. It will soon be possible to carry goods from Varanasi right up to Bangladesh and the North Eastern states of the country on waterways.