Delay in getting clearance for land conversion hits cable car project across Thamarassery Ghat Road

The delay in completing land conversion formalities has hit the implementation of the proposed multi-crore cable car project by the Wayanad Chamber of Commerce (WCC) across Thamarassery Ghat Road. The proposal submitted for the conversion of around two acres of plantation land in the first phase is yet to win the Revenue department’s approval though the investors have been after the project for over eight years.

The shareholders of the company, Western Ghats Development Limited (WGDL), which was formed under the WCC to implement the project said the floating of tenders for basic works such as building of towers, base and upper stations, drive unit, and cable works could be done only after completing the Revenue department formalities. The changes in the first alignment and some legal disputes in the land purchased for the construction of the upper station at Lakkidi also delayed the project implementation, they added.

“Our effort is to speed up the clearance of technical issues with the support of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation. Despite all the technical hurdles, our shareholders are still with us with their determination to get the project on track,” said P. Johny, a functionary of WGDL. He said the State government was in favour of the project due to its importance in the tourism sector.

It was in 2017 that the project was proposed as the longest ropeway project in south India with a length of 3,670 metres on completion. The main attraction was the possibility to transport 400 persons at a time across the mountain pass offering them a scenic view. A Kolkata-based company had helped WGDL prepare a detailed project report covering around 10 acres of land with an estimated cost of ₹100 crore.  

Some of the local investors in the tourism sector said it was the apathy of the Tourism department that hit the speedy implementation of the project. According to them, the department started showing interest in the project only very recently as investors were determined to follow it up with the State government.

The WGDL functionaries said the tourism ventures in Kozhikode and Wayanad district would equally benefit if the proposal was implemented without further delay. The main attraction of the cable car service between Adivaram and Lakkidi would be the option to cut short the 23-km journey on the mountain pass to just 3.5 km, they added.