Uttarakhand Government and NHLML Sign Agreement for Kedarnath & Hemkund Sahib Ropeways under Parvatmala Project

An agreement was signed between the Uttarakhand government and National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) at the Secretariat on Tuesday for the development of ropeways in Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib under the Parvatmala Project. The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta, and Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj.

Under the agreement, NHLML will hold a 51% equity share, while the state government will retain 49%. As per the revenue-sharing model, 90% of the earnings will be utilized for boosting tourism, transport, and mobility in Uttarakhand.

Chief Minister Dhami said the agreement would enhance the state’s religious and cultural identity globally and open new avenues in tourism, employment, environment protection, and infrastructure. He recalled that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Parvatmala Project, approvals had been granted for a 12.9 km ropeway between Sonprayag and Kedarnath at a cost of ₹4,100 crore, and a 12.4 km ropeway between Govindghat and Hemkund Sahib at a cost of over ₹2,700 crore.

“These projects will set new benchmarks in ropeway connectivity while strengthening the state’s economy. Road, rail, and ropeway infrastructure is being rapidly expanded under the leadership of the Prime Minister,” Dhami added, citing ongoing works including the Chardham Allweather Road, Delhi-Dehradun Elevated Road, and several border connectivity projects.

Union Minister Ajay Tamta termed the agreement an important step for ropeway development in Uttarakhand, saying the new ropeways would ease pilgrim access to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib. Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj highlighted that the projects would boost local-level employment and the tourism economy.

The signing ceremony was attended by Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, Additional Secretary MoRTH Vinay Kumar, Tourism Secretary Dilip Jawalkar, CEO NHLML Rajesh Malik, Vice President Ropeway NHLML Prashant Jain, and other senior officials.

NHLML, a 100% subsidiary of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has been mandated by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to spearhead key initiatives in logistics and infrastructure. Its portfolio includes the development of 35 Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLPs), ropeways, optical fibre networks, wayside amenities, warehousing zones, passenger terminals, and solarization of highways, among other projects.