Cable cars could soon spare tourists the steep climb to Rohtas Fort or Mundeshwari temple on the Kaimur plateau.

An six-member team of the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC), forest department and Rites India Limited - a Gurgaon firm having expertise in installing ropeways - conducted the final survey of the proposed cable service at the two tourist destinations. Officials claimed that the ropeway installation work would commence from the next financial year.

The survey team members, including Rohtas divisional forest officer S. Kumar Sami, Mohammed Aftab (ranger), Naitik Kaushik and Deepak Kumar Mall (tourism corporation and forest department engineers) and Birendra Prasad Yadav (Rites India Limited), visited Rohtas Fort and Mundeshwari temple on Sunday and Monday, respectively. Deputy general manager of BSTDC Navin Kumar said the team members also visited Mandar Hill in Banka district. "The team will submit its report soon," he said.

The report of the survey team would be sent to the regional centre of the Unions forests and environment ministry in Ranchi for the no-objection certificate.

The ropeway at Rohtas Fort, which is around 1,500 feet above the sea level, would be 1,302m long. The span of the cable at Mundeshwari temple would be about 100m. Their estimated cost would be around Rs 5.5 crore each.

A source in the tourism corporation said the department had proposed to provide the tourists the cable facility at Dungeshwari Hills in Bodhgaya, Bhramyoni Hills in Gaya and Barabar caves in Jehanabad. The sites attract tourists and pilgrims from Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sufi circuits. But the steep climb prevents several senior citizens from visiting the places.