Bhubaneswar, March 11: Visitors to the Nandankanan zoo would shortly start enjoying the ropeway ride, a service that has been lying defunct since February 2011.

Authorities of the Nandankanan Zoological Park said a tender to start and manage the service would be floated next month. "Paper work for the ropeway tender is under progress, and we would float it by next month," said deputy director of the zoo Jayant Dash.

The ropeway, which had been introduced in 1994 to ferry passengers from the zoo to the botanical garden passing over the Kanjia lake, was one among the major attractions for the zoo visitors. However, the zoo authorities were forced to temporarily disrupt the service in October 2010 after 13 tourists had to be rescued from a cable car hung precariously from the ropeway.

Though the zoo authorities had resumed the service in December 2010, it was permanently shut down in February 2011 for safety reasons. The 620-metre long ropeway used to draw around 13,000 visitors every year with its private operator charging Rs 30 per passenger.

An official of the state forest department said the old cable would be replaced with new one. "The contract with the previous private operator has been terminated. A technical committee would also examine the quality of the cable and other accessories before assigning the job," he said.

Forest department officials attributed the delay in resuming the service to the process of canceling the contract with the private operator. "It took more than one year for termination of contract with the previous private operator. Besides, a decision whether to continue with the old cable or to opt for a new one also took time, as we have to rope in an expert for that," said the official.

The official said that after finalisation of the tender, it would take a month or two to resume the service. "We are yet to take a call on the fare for ropeway ride. Once the ride is ready, we would decide on the fare," he said.

With the state government deciding to start ropeway ride in the Dhauli hills, visitors demanded resumption of the same service in the zoo at the earliest possible. "Visitors have been demanding to resume the ropeway service in the zoo. More than four years have elapsed, and we are yet to enjoy the ride. A number of tourists to the zoo, especially the children, are disappointed over disruption of the ride," said Saroj Samal, a tourist from Balasore.