The Indian cable car plans

In India, urban ropeways are playing an increasingly important role in tackling traffic problems. With the Parvatmala Programme, a national ropeway development programme has existed since 2022. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, recently announced his intention to develop more than 250 projects with a ropeway length of over 1,200 km within five years.

The Indian central government has recognized the necessity of cable car development and prioritizes the cable car sector.

The Parvatmala program, introduced for the first time in the country for regions such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and the northeastern part of the country, aims to improve connectivity and convenience for commuters in challenging mountainous areas and promote tourism.

The National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has been entrusted with the task of developing cable car projects across the country under the program.

Overall, the cable car development program is carried out by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH).

Current Status of Cable Cars in India

The National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML) has received over 260 projects from various states for cable car development.

Furthermore, the NHLML has set a target to award up to 20 cable car projects in the fiscal year 2023/24. Feasibility studies are currently underway for cable car projects in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation for the country’s first urban cable car in Varanasi.

To fully harness the potential of cable cars, the production of cable car components is expected to be shifted more to India under the “Make in India” initiative.