Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Although the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh made announcement of bringing the cable car along the Metro tracks and at several other places of the city, on the ground level, the project seems to be a pipedream as even the feasibility study is not complete so far. The cable car project, which is another major project in the city’s infrastructure development plan after the Metro project, has reached no conclusion so far.
Unfortunately, the Indore Development Authority (IDA) has got no company to win the tender of the project and could not conduct a feasibility study even after an estimated Rs 75 lakh was earmarked for the survey. The cable car project has gone through a roller-coaster ride, so far, and many changes have been made to the project plan.
Earlier, in 2021, at its initial stage, the project was planned to be introduced in the city’s crowded areas for ease of traffic flow and connectivity to markets. It was planned for areas near Rajwada, Bhanwarkuwan, the railway station and others. For this, a company made a presentation to the IDA, but, later, the tender was cancelled due to several reasons. Later, the IDA floated another tender for which one company appeared and one demanded more than the tender amount for the work, due to which it again got cancelled.
During this time, announcements were made by the CM and many city politicians on public platforms for bringing the project to the city. Despite this, the IDA has not reached any conclusion. However, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Tuesday, again announced that a cable car would be run in the city. He said it would be run parallel to the first phase of Metro trains via the Super Corridor from the airport.
IDA CEO promises to make project live
IDA CEO RP Ahirwar, while talking to Free Press on Wednesday, said the project was on the priority list of the development authority. He affirmed that the procedures required for the project implementation would begin soon after a few meetings and discussions with the authorities and members concerned.
PROJECT TIMELINE SO FAR
§ January 6, 2021: CM makes announcement of cable car while inaugurating the Pipliyahana flyover
§ April 1, 2021: Draft plan of cable car project in the city’s presentation shown by WAPCOS Ltd Co. at a meeting headed by divisional commissioner Pawan Sharma
§ June 16, 2021: MP Shankar Lalwani suggests a cable car project in a letter to divisional commissioner before the budget session of IDA
§ June 28, 2021: Rs 75 lakh is decided in the IDA’s Rs 524-crore budget for fiscal 2021-2022 for doing a feasibility test of the project
§ October 27, 2021: Collector instructs IDA officials for integration of Metro and cable car; instructs that Metro Rail be integrated with cable car project to provide greater facilities to passengers at a review meeting on the progress of the Metro Rail project, presided over by collector Manish Singh
§ June 28, 2022: CM makes announcement on starting a cable car in the city parallel to the Metro Project
GOVT ORDER TO IDA
Meanwhile, the government sent an order to the authority, in which it was stated that the work should be done under non-planned schemes. In the gazette notification of the government, the authority was given the right to spend only 10 per cent of its annual income on non-scheme projects, such as construction of roads, flyovers, railway overbridges, parks and gardens and work related to the master plan. Due to this, other projects, including the cable car project, had to be put on hold by the authority. However, the authority’s chairman, Jaipal Singh Chanwda, wrote to the CM along with the principal secretary and other officers of the ministry of urban development and housing, in which permission was sought for other projects under the non-planned scheme.
PROPOSED CABLE CAR PROJECT
It was proposed that the cable car route be developed at four busiest places of the city, including Jawahar Marg to Rajwada, Kalani Nagar to Sudama Nagar, Cloth Market to Maharana Pratap Nagar and Indore Railway Station to Bhanwarkuwan.
