Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 9: In a development which could help in early start of work on the much publicized Patnitop and Mubarak Mandi ropeway projects, a three-member team of the Central Empowered Committee of Supreme Court of India is arriving here on June 3, 2013 to inspect both the sites and see whether the projects would have any impact on the environment.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that State Government has received a message from the office of the Central Empowered Committee’s Chairman P V Jayakrishanan that a three-member team would reach Jammu on June 3, 2013 for the inspection of sites of both the projects to see whether the proposed ropeways would have any impact on the environment.
On June 3, the team will inspect proposed alignment of Mubarak Mandi-Bahu Fort-Mahamaya Devi Mandir ropeway project across River Tawi and have a detailed discussion with the top officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation. Thereafter the team would leave for Patnitop where they will inspect alignment of proposed 2.6 kilometers long ropeway project on June 4, sources said.
“If cleared by the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee there would be no problem in going ahead with the construction of these projects, which are of much importance for tourism promotion in Jammu region by way of diverting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims”, sources said.
The Patnitop ropeway project has already received clearance from the National Wildlife Board, State Wildlife Board, Expert Appraisal Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Similarly, Mubarak Mandi-Bahu Fort-Mahamaya Temple ropeway project has received the nod of State Board of Wildlife and the Standing Committee of National Board of Wildlife. However, clearance from the Expert Appraisal Committee of Ministry of Environment and Forests is under process.
In response to a question, sources said, “both these projects have yet not been cleared by the Forest Advisory Committee of the State on the ground that the same would be considered only after the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee gives the green signal”, adding “in view of this the forthcoming visit of SC’s Central Empowered Committee assumes much importance”. The decision to conduct site inspection was taken by the Committee on July 20, 2012.
It is pertinent to mention here that it was in the background of the tremendous pressure on forests and the unsustainable removals besides the real threat of massive destruction of wildlife habitat that the Supreme Court of India intervened and constituted Central Empowered Committee to look into these issues and the Committee is playing a pioneering role in its efforts to save forest and wildlife.
The Patnitop project involves construction and operation of a passenger aerial ropeway and associated facilities at Kud, Sangote and Karlah. The ropeway will pass through compartment 95/C of Dudu Forest Range and will be almost one kilometer away from compartment 99 of Sudhmahadev Conservation Reserve.
One base terminal station of the ropeway would be at a point close to the 99 kilometer milestone on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A while as the intermediate terminal will be near Sangote village and the same will be 1269 meter away from the base terminal and at an elevation of 254 meter below the base terminal. The upper terminal will be at Patnitop close to Hotel Vardan at a distance of 2618 meter from the intermediate terminal and at an elevation of 694 meter above the intermediate terminal. The total length of the ropeway will be 2.6 kilometer with 23 trolleys.
About the Mubarak Mandi ropeway project, sources said that M/s Damador Ropeway Infrastructure Ltd, Kolkata has been selected in the tendering process supported by RITES India and Letter of Intent has already been issued in favour of the company. Moreover, the Power Development Department has already started work on re-alignment of its infrastructure to pave way for implementation of the project.
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