Nandi Hill cable car: Forest clearance pending, but construction has begun
Four years after the project was announced, work on the ropeway to Nandi Hill top near Bengaluru has seen some progress. Construction of the Lower
Four years after the project was announced, work on the ropeway to Nandi Hill top near Bengaluru has seen some progress. Construction of the Lower Terminal Point (LTP) has begun. However, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is yet to give clearance for five acres of land for construction of the Upper Terminal Point (UTP). A senior official from the Tourism Department told The Hindu, “A total of seven acres of land at the foothills of Nandi hills was handed over to Dyanamicx Ropeway Private Limited (DRPL) in 2025. They are currently building the ground level base station of LTP for operations of the cable car system. The location is at Madaku Hosahalli village near the Kanive Basaveshwara Swamy temple.” The official added that nearly 20% of the construction of the LTP has been completed.
Nandi Hill cable car project Length of ropeway: 2.94 km Estimated cost of project: ₹93.40 crore Actual cost: ₹240.17 crore Cost escalated due to moving to CEN standard for more safety, ultra-modern amenities, corridor land acquisition, and opting for high-quality pillar Period assigned to operate: 30 years Annual fee to be paid to government: ₹1.60 crore for 1st year with 5% increase in subsequent years “The terminal building work has been completed up to floor 2 level along with two other utility buildings, slab concreting is under process, and foundation for the food court building has been completed. The land was handed over to the private company after careful study of soil, proof checking, and peer review of structural design and drawings by the research and development section of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad for three months.
Besides, an independent engineer and safety engineer of Tourism Department has also studied and approved before giving a green signal for construction,” the official said. Emphasising on the features, the official said, “It will have car parking facilities where tourists can park at least 200 cars, 150 two-wheelers, and even buses. The LTP will have a designated waiting area for tourists.” The Department of Tourism has signed a contract with another private firm, Leitner-Italy, to purchase ropeway components. The first set of components were supposed to be delivered, but has been put on hold. The official said, “The delivery of these components is on hold because of the delay in getting clearance from the Forest Department.” No clearance for Upper Terminal Point While these developments are underway, the Tourism Department is yet to get clearance from MoEFCC for construction of the UTP.
The BriefWire