Page 88 - PR Communication Age January-June2020

play an important role in the “Self-re- Modi said the trans-shipment port overall boost for tourism in the city.”
liant India campaign.” would enable large ships to anchor and
increase India’s share in maritime Connecting Kachari Ghat (Guwahati) to
The Prime Minister said that despite trade, while creating new employment Dol Govinda Temple on the northern
India having a rich tradition of local opportunities. bank, the ropeway passed the famous
toys and expertise of talented artisans, Umananda temple on a small island.
India’s share in the over Rs. 7-lakh- Why Brahmaputra rope-
crore global toy industry is very small. Design and fare
way is special Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma,
“The toy industry in India is very vast The Assam government has inaugu- who inaugurated the ropeway,
and from cottage industries, small in- rated a 1.8-km ropeway across the tweeted: “This is one of the most ad-
dustries, MSMEs to large industries, all Brahmaputra river, and described it as vanced & longest river crossing Aerial
come under its ambit... “To my start-
India’s longest river ropeway. Tramway systems in India”. The rope-
up friends, I say, team up for toys and way uses a “twin-track, single-haul, bi-
let us make toys together. “For every- Why a river ropeway cable double reversible jig back” sys-
body it is the time to get vocal for lo- Thousands of people commute every tem, officials said.
cal toys,” he added.
day between the capital city of
Guwahati and the town of North The ropeway comprises two cabins —
Rs. 10k cr trans-shipment Guwahati, where IIT Guwahati is lo- each with a capacity of 30 passengers
port for Gr Nicobar: PM cated. The ropeway cuts travel time plus one operator. The project was built
between the two banks to 8 minutes. at a cost of Rs 56 crore.
Great Nicobar Island will get a trans- The current travel options between
shipment port with investment of Rs the two banks are by ferry (30 minutes
10,000 crore, Prime Minister Narendra Tickets have been fixed at Rs 100 for a
or more, depending on current and round trip, and Rs 60 for a one-way
Modi said.
season) or by road through a bridge trip.
For years, Indian ports have lost out to that usually takes over an hour in the
Colombo, which is a major trans-ship- traffic. For 105 villages in
ment hub in the region and the pro- “One-way travel on the ropeway will Maharashtra, the lockdown
posed facility may be an alternative
given its location and is seen to be take say 9-10 minutes. So in 20 minutes will be an annual 8-day
close to the channel connecting China, if a person can complete a round trip event
Japan and Australia. between Guwahati and North
Guwahati, it will be immensely benefi- Villagers in Maharashtra’s
While inaugurating the 2,300-km long cial,” said Umananda Doley, CEO of Ahmednagar taluka are rather im-
submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) Guwahati Metropolitan Development pressed with the effects of the
connecting Andaman and Nicobar Is- Authority. lockdown. So much so that they have
lands with Chennai, which will bring resolved to observe an eight-day
rapid net and telephone connectivity Tourism potential lockdown every year. The panchayat
to the archipelago, Modi said the “Apart from substantially reducing samiti that administers 105 villages in
Centre’s focus is to reduce the “dis- travel time, the ropeway will provide the taluka has approved the resolu-
tance” between Delhi and other parts a breathtaking view of the mighty tion.
of the country, as far as development Brahmaputra and promote tourism in
is concerned. the State,” Chief Minister Sarbananda “The lockdown imposed due to Covid-
Sonowal tweeted. 19 has taught us a lesson,” says
The PM said the aim is to ensure the Ramdas Bhor, a panchayat samiti
islands are “not far away from Delhi Doley told “Tourists can take the rope- member who tabled the resolution at
and from the hearts of the Mainland”, way to North Guwahati and spend a recent meeting. “It minimised human
while adding that the focus is also on quality time that side. Hospitality ser- intervention in nature and reduced
promoting ‘ease of business in the sea’ vices will also develop on that side and water andair pollution. Not only did
and simplifying maritime logistics. thus the ropeway is expected to be an people slow down their daily activities,

88 PR COMMUNICATION AGE January - June 2020