Barang: A new ropeway service connecting Nandankanan Zoo and Botanical Garden has been opened for tourists after the previous facility went defunct 13 years ago. The Minister of Forests, Environment and Climate Change Pradip Kumar Amat inaugurated the ropeway facility at 4.30 pm on Friday.
After the inauguration, Minister Pradip Amat took a joy ride on the ropeway and saw the facilities himself along with North Bhubaneswar MLA Sushant Kumar Rout, Jatni MLA Suresh Kumar Rautray, senior officials of the forest department.
From Saturday onwards, tourists can take joyrides in the ropeway cabins built with new technology at a cost of more than Rs 13 crore. Tourists can enjoy the natural and pleasant environment of Kanjia Lake while taking rides in the newly-launched ropeway service at the Nandankanan Zoo and see various species of flower garden along with various trees in the Botanical Garden.
It has a total of 12 cabin arrangements, while six tourists can sit in one cabin and 72 tourists can travel at a time. To avail of the ropeway service, the tickets would be Rs.120 for each person. Tickets for children from 3 to 12 years would be Rs. 10 and Rs. 50 for children above 12 years.
It is worth noting that the state government first laid the groundwork for the construction of a ropeway in Nandankanan in 1988. It became operational on October 10, 1994, when the then Chief Minister Biju Patnaik inaugurated it. The Nandankanan authorities had announced the closure of the Ropeway indefinitely since 2011 due to the frequent occurrence of mechanical glitches in the ropeway.
On October 8, 2021, to mark the 67th Wildlife Week, the then Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha signed an agreement with Damodar Ropeway Infra Ltd., a private firm of Kolkata, to re-open the ropeway.
The ropeway journey will cover a distance of 626 meters from the zoo campus and it will culminate at the Botanical garden. The system has been constructed with a mono-cable pulsated with two towers. It has been developed with a jungle theme and the features intricate tribal art.
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