Management & Tourism
Indian Minister visited Innsbruck
In India, the ropeway business is flourishing, and major projects are planned for the coming years – with its ropeway expertise, Tyrol is one of India’s most important partners. A delegation from business and tourism – led by Innsbruck’s Deputy Mayor Markus Lassenberger – accompanied the top Indian politician.
Thomas Schroll (Managing Director of Nordkettenbahnen), Anton Seeber (Chairman of the Board of LEITNER AG), Barbara Plattner (Managing Director Innsbruck Tourism), Nitin Gadkari (India’s Cabinet Minister for Road Construction and Transport), Markus Lassenberger (Innsbruck’s Deputy Mayor), Franz Urban (Member of the Board of STRABAG AG) and Ishvinder Maddh (Managing Director Robinville). Photo: Innsbruck Tourism
At the high-ranking summit meeting high above Innsbruck, “big station” was the order of the day. Well-known personalities from politics, business and tourism had gathered to accompany the Indian Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari up to the Hafelekar.
Innsbruck’s Vice Mayor Markus Lassenberger immediately referred to the purpose of the fact-finding tour in his welcoming speech:
“In order to optimize mobility in urban as well as alpine areas through ropeways, strong partnerships are very important. The Innsbruck Nordkettenbahnen show how a partnership in the sense of ‘Public Private Partnership’ can work excellently. This makes it easier and faster to realize future projects.”
International recognition for Innsbruck
The guest from India had already learned about the construction of the Nordkettenbahnen within the framework of a public-private partnership (PPP) and consequently had very specific questions for his companions.
By his own admission, Nitin Gadkari enjoyed the short trip very much: “Being here is a great pleasure and a historic moment in my life. The cable car is first class and the service very much to my satisfaction. I really enjoy the climate here, snow and ice are very special for us.”
The Indian Ambassador to Austria, Jaideep Mazumdar explained the background of the ministerial visit:
“The purpose of the visit was to participate in the INTERALPIN exhibition and to exchange ideas with ropeway producers from the region. Our interest is based on the fact that India is pursuing a $15 billion program that includes the construction of 260 lifts to be completed in the next five years.”
SI editors Vanessa Weiss and Dominik Berndt were able to interview the minister during the Interalpin. Here you can find more about it. Photo: SI/Weiss
