In a bid to boost tourism as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, ropeway rides will soon be available for tourists at the Nandi Hills near Bengaluru. The Karnataka Cabinet approved the construction of the project on Thursday, February 18. Nandi Hills is a popular getaway near Bengaluru, located in the neighbouring district of Chikkaballapur, about 60 km away from the city.
The ropeway will be 2.93 km long and will have a total of 18 towers. Each round-trip will take 28 minutes. The rope way will consist of 50 gondolas — carriages where passengers will be seated — and each gondola will carry a total of 10 passengers. According to the state government, the project will also focus on creating more amenities for tourists, including restaurants, food courts, shops and more. The project will be taken up under the public-private partnership (PPP) model on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis. The ropeway is estimated to come up at a cost of Rs 93.4 crore.
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar, who is also the MLA of Chikkaballapur, said in a statement, “Nandi Hills located in Chikkaballapur district, just around 60 km away from Bengaluru city, has emerged as a popular weekend getaway for youngsters… I am extremely happy that the long-awaited ropeway project will see the light of the day very soon.”
The minister added, “With the passenger ropeway and other modern amenities, Nandi Hills will become an international tourist destination and will be a significant milestone in the development journey of Chikkaballapura.”
Nandi Hills had earlier been closed off to tourists in August 2021 after a landslide led to a collapse of a 43 meter stretch of road, cutting off access to the summit. The landslide was caused by severe rains that had lashed the entire state at the time. The road was finally reopened for tourists in November 2021, after the road was rebuilt.