Patna, Nov. 13: The construction of the proposed cabin-car ropeway service on Ratnagiri hills in Rajgir is likely to begin from December with the environment and forests department giving its nod to the project.

All groundwork for the project, aimed at promoting tourism at the historic site, has been finalised.

RITES, the agency that had earlier prepared the detailed project report for the cabin cars, recently signed an agreement with Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) to supervise the construction work and look after its maintenance.

BSTDC general manager Shailendra Kumar told The Telegraph: “The state environment and forests department has given its nod to the installation of the hi-tech cabin ropeway system. An agreement has also been finalised with RITES a week ago. According to the deal, RITES will supervise the construction work. It will be responsible for the maintenance of the cabin ropeway.”

He added that RITES has sought 15 days to bring construction materials to the site. “The construction work is likely to begin next month,” Kumar said.

According to sources, the proposal for the new ropeway was delayed by over three years because the state tourism department was in talks with the environment and forests department. The area below the site of the proposed ropeway system was declared a protected land by the forests department in 1988. Following this, any new construction in the area required a nod from the forests department.

BSTDC officials said the length of the proposed ropeway would be 800m and 22 cabin cars, imported from Switzerland, would be operated from the foothills to the top of Ratnagiri. Each cabin would accommodate four persons. The new ropeway would be able to transport 800 people in an hour, depending on the number of trips.

An official said the new ropeway would have three options of power supply — one from the state electricity board line, the second from diesel-operated engines and the third from generators. The cost of the project, to be completed in two-and-a-half years, has been pegged at Rs 10.5 crore.

The operation of the new detachable gondola ropeway would be easier than the existing chairlift ropeway. At present, the chairlifts run from one station to another and people have to hop on and jump out of them at stations. The new ropeway would have a detachable system. The cabins would get detached at the stations, allowing people to get in and out before they continue with their journey.

The existing chairlift ropeway at Ratnagiri hills, which has the Vishwa Shanti Stupa atop, has become worn out with the passage of time. Altogether 101 chairs are part of the system that covers an elevated height of over 1,000ft.