Local body to operate ropeway to transport vegetables

By Guna Bahadur Roka,Gorkha, Aug. 28: Gandaki Rural Municipality is set to operate an electric ropeway to make it easier to transport locally grown vegetables. 

The project is being operated at a total budget of Rs. 9 million, with Rs. 5 million from the municipality and Rs. 4 million from the Gandaki Provincial Government, said Chairperson Dipak Timilsina.

The electric ropeway project comes after a detailed technical site study conducted jointly by Gandaki Rural Municipality and technical consultants from Ropeway Nepal.

A manual ropeway had operated in the area since 2009 but was closed in 2014 due to safety risks.

The ropeway will run from Thumka in Ward 6 to Pisling Bazaar along the Prithvi Highway, providing an efficient means to transport vegetables and other goods. Timilsina said it will reduce transportation costs and provide relief to local farmers.

Wards 6 and 7 are key vegetable-producing areas. Roads in these rural areas often become difficult during the rainy season, but the ropeway will allow transport at a lower cost, all year round.

Chief Administrative Officer Bhuban Chapagain added that despite the municipality’s proximity to the Prithvi Highway, difficult terrain makes transport challenging. 

The ropeway will help farmers send their produced goods to markets in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan more easily.