River Ropeway Closes Two Days After Inauguration

Due to a technical glitch, the longest river ropeway service in India will remain non-operational for an indefinite period of time.

Inaugurated on August 24 and built with a cost of Rs56 crore, the ropeway in Guwahati goes over the Brahmaputra river. With a distance of 1.82 km, it is the longest ropeway in the country. The journey between Kachari Ghat and Dol Govinda Temple takes just 8 to 9 minutes on the ropeway. Each of the two cabins has a capacity of 32 passengers per trip. The fare for a one-way trip is Rs60, and a round trip costs Rs100.

Proud & happy that I have the privilege of inaugurating Guwahati Ropeway, seeds of which were sown when I was GDD Minister. This is one of the most advanced & longest river crossing Aerial Tramway systems in India.

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My compliments to people of Assam! @SBhttachrya pic.twitter.com/sZJEieZMga

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 24, 2020

Authorities had believed that the ropeway would help promote tourism in Assam as it provides magnificent views of the vast Brahmaputra river, and it reduces the cost and time taken for travelling to north Guwahati by a significant amount. It takes more than 30 minutes by ferry and an hour by road.

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Moreover, people living in Assam will benefit from the service during the monsoon when ferry services on the Brahmaputra get suspended due to floods.

In spite of multiple trial runs for six months, the service is now stuck in a limbo right now. The root problem is believed to be something quite basic which should have been looked into: power fluctuations. Due to these, the motor got overheated and stopped working. Repair work is going on at present and engineers are working hard to resume operations as fast as they can.