Sabarimala ropeway project nears nod as Central team inspects route
The Kerala High Court, while reviewing the project design earlier, had noted that the alignment passes through the Periyar Tiger Reserve and would involve cutting about 97 trees and clearing 12 metres of forest area.
The Kerala High Court, while reviewing the project design earlier, had noted that the alignment passes through the Periyar Tiger Reserve and would involve cutting about 97 trees and clearing 12 metres of forest area.
The Kerala High Court, while reviewing the project design earlier, had noted that the alignment passes through the Periyar Tiger Reserve and would involve cutting about 97 trees and clearing 12 metres of forest area.
Pathanamthitta: A team from the central government has conducted a detailed site inspection at Sannidhanam, Marakkoottam, and Pampa Hilltop as part of the final approval process for the proposed Sabarimala ropeway project.
The two-day visit focused on assessing the locations where the ropeway towers are to be installed and the forest stretches through which the alignment passes. The officials also examined the extent of forest and Devaswom land required for the project and the number of trees that would need to be fully or partially removed.
According to officials, the final clearance for the project will depend on the report submitted by the inspection team.
The proposed ropeway, spanning 2.7 km from Pamba to Sannidhanam, aims to facilitate the transportation of goods to the hill shrine. It requires the diversion of around 4.53 hectares of forest land, including 2.5 acres for the lower terminal at Pamba Hilltop and 1.5 acres for the upper terminal near Sannidhanam.
The Kerala High Court, while reviewing the project design earlier, had noted that the alignment passes through the Periyar Tiger Reserve and would involve cutting about 97 trees and clearing 12 metres of forest area. The court also questioned the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) proposal to provide 10 acres of compensatory afforestation in Thenmala, observing that the ecological value of the Sabarimala forest cannot be equated with a tourist destination like Thenmala.
First conceived in 2011, the project has faced repeated delays due to objections from the Forest Department over large-scale earth removal and tree felling in the ecologically sensitive region. The ropeway is being implemented under the supervision of the Sabarimala High-Power Committee.
The central inspection team included Johnson from the Wildlife Institute of India, New Delhi, Shivakumar from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Harini Venugopal from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Officials from the Kerala Forest Department and the Travancore Devaswom Board also joined the inspection.