Cable car in Pathibhara, Swargadwari

KATHMANDU, Dec 1

The government has moved the process for construction of cable car networks at Pathibhara of Taplejung and Swargadwari of Pyuthan. The Tourism Infrastructure Development Project under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has already completed detailed feasibility study to construct both the projects in public private partnership (PPP) model. The ministry will soon seek proposal from the private sector simultaneously for the two projects.

The studies have showed that 1.50 million domestic and foreign tourists can be annually taken to Swargadwari and 1 million to Pathibhara after construction of cable car networks. Estimated cost for both the projects is around Rs 2 billion. “We have finished the study only recently. We will now start the process to search investors. Both the projects can be completed within 18 months of start of construction,” Senior Officer at the Planning Division Dorendra Niroula states. Cost for construction in Pathibara has been projected to be Rs 1 billion including Rs 400 million for land and Rs 600 million for others, while that for Swargadwari has been projected to be Rs 1 billion including Rs 500 million for land and Rs 500 million for others.

The cable car in Pathibhara Temple will be 2.50 kilometers starting from Phedi at Taplejung. The famous pilgrimage site of eastern Nepal lies at an altitude of 3,794 meters from the sea level. Around 150,000 pilgrims including Buddhists and Hindus annually visit Pathibhara, the major attraction of the Kanchenjunga Range. One has to walk to reach Pathibhara now. The number is expected to rise to 1 million once construction of cable car is completed.  

Swargadwari Temple lies at an altitude of 2,900 meters, and around 200,000 Indians apart from Nepali pilgrims visit the temple annually. The study estimates that around 1.50 million will visit Swargadwari once construction of 3.50-kilometer cable car system from Bhingri of Pyuthan is completed. Swargadwari is spread in 1,600 ropanis of land, and it also attracts non-religious tourists as Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Machhapuchchhre and other peaks can be viewed from there. There is currently only one cable car network in the country at Manakamana. The other at Thankot-Chandragiri is under construction.

Delay in Pokhara

Construction of cable car network from Basundhara Park of Pokhara to Stupa, however, has been stalled due to dispute about selection of the construction company. Study for the project was completed in 2011 and tender process also started, but it has now been delayed due to the dispute about selection. Laxmi Group and Chitwan Co-E Group were initially selected from the first round, and Chitwan was selected after the second round of selection. The process has not moved forward in the past two years after Laxmi Group moved the court claiming that Chitwan was selected unfairly. The government had moved the process forward in a way to complete the Rs 1 billion project in 2015.