Guwahati: Longest river ropeway functional again after overcoming technical snag

Guwahati: Residents of Guwahati can once again enjoy the sights of the majestic Brahmaputra from an aerial view as the ropeway built to connect Guwahati and North Guwahati (a distance of roughly 2 km) has finally resumed operations after it was shut down for a brief while following a technical glitch.

The operations of this multi-crore project were brought to a grinding halt after there was a problem with the motor which developed a snag owing to fluctuations of the electricity.

"It has been running without a hitch since the construction. However, due to the fluctuation of the power, the motor has been damaged. The problem first surfaced yesterday, but we were able to run it. Today, however, things got out of hand and we were compelled to halt it for repairs", M.K.Baig, the Manager of the project.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of the GMDA, Umananda Doley, recently told The Sentinel Digital that the restoration of the service would be done after replacement motors were procured. "On the very first day itself, the machine ferried over 700 passengers and people queued up for hours for a ride. However, unexpectedly, the motor got damaged and mechanics are trying to repair it. However, that is a time-consuming process and is expected to take a few days."

On August 24, India's 'longest' river ropeway was unveiled in Guwahati amid much fanfare in the presence of state ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Siddhartha Bhattacharya. The ropeway was unveiled almost a year after it was completed. The ₹56.08-crore ropeway project was assigned to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority in 2006. The 1.82 km bi-cable jig-back ropeway is built across river Brahmaputra.

It took long 11 years to inaugurate the ropeway after the laying of its foundation stone. The two-km ropeway has two cabins – each with a capacity of 30 commuters and two crew members.

However, at present during the corona pandemic, each of the two cabins will carry only 15 passengers on each trip. The fare is Rs 60 for a one-way journey and Rs 100 for both ways. The duration of the service is from 8 am to 6 pm at present. The ropeway covers the distance now in 8-9 minutes.

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