Tourism Dept. exploring ropeway, winch train to ease access to Anjanadri hills
The Karnataka Tourism Department is currently studying the possibility of installing a ropeway or winch train in Anjanadri Hills, similar to the one at Palani
The Karnataka Tourism Department is currently studying the possibility of installing a ropeway or winch train in Anjanadri Hills, similar to the one at Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu. Tourism Department officials said the project aims to ease travel to Anjanadri Hills for the lakhs of tourists who are unable to climb the 575 steps to the top. An official said, “A private consultancy firm is studying the geography of the area to prepare a Heritage Impact Assessment Report, which will be submitted to the state government, the Archaeological Survey of India, the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO and others.” He added, “Since Anjanadri Hills is revered as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman and is located in the buffer zone of Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), we need to be careful.
The team is exploring the ropeway alignment, which mainly involves identifying the physical route the cable car system can take.” “The area behind the hills is being studied for the installation of either a ropeway or a winch train to avoid compromising the skyline views of the Stone Chariot, Vijaya Vittala Temple, Bhajana Mantapa and other monuments in this zone,” the officer told The Hindu. “The funicular or winch train system consists of three separate rail tracks to transport large volumes of devotees safely. The cable cars used in a ropeway can carry four passengers and ferry them to the hill in five to six minutes, depending on the distance.
Either option will be implemented under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Once the project is completed, children, senior citizens and women who are unable to climb the 575 steps will be able to reach the spot easily,” he said. Impact on ecosystem Considering that Anjanadri Hills is close to the Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, environmentalists have criticised the proposal. A.N. Yellappa Reddy, environmentalist and former Indian Forest Service officer, said, “Sloth bears are native to this region because of the natural environment present there. Installing a ropeway or even a train will disturb their natural habitat. When they come out into human settlements, there will naturally be man-animal conflicts.
As the number of devotees and tourists increases, they will certainly pollute the place by littering all sorts of waste. It will disturb the flora and fauna of the region and give rise to more issues. Vehicular traffic on the roads connecting to the sanctuary will also increase.”
The BriefWire