Bengaluru’s metro rail service has been receiving good response from the public and passenger traffic has increased significantly.
Cable cars are usually found in hilly tourist areas like Shimla or Darjeeling ferrying tourists from one point to another.
Now Bengaluru too may have cable cars soon, subject to approval from the state government. This is said to be the brain child of K J George, Bengaluru Development Minister.
A committee had been constituted to determine under which department the cable car project could be implemented.
Buoyed by the impressive commuter response received by metro trains in the city, the authorities are focusing on alternatives to reduce the chaotic traffic congestion near metro stations. The cable car initiative is one such alternative, the authorities said.
French company Poma has come forward with a proposal of cable infrastructure in this regard and an expert committee will study the feasibility of the proposal.
Poma, also known as Pomagalski S.A is a French company that manufactures cable cars and cable-driven lift systems.
Is it feasible to have cable cars in Bengaluru?
When Poma was contacted, its Managing Director Mahendra Jain said ‘there are already a lot of flyovers and underpasses constructed apart from Metro Train facility in Bengaluru; cable cars are the only option left to ease the prevailing traffic congestion in the ever growing city.’
The installation of cable cars that will run parallel routes would not pose any hindrance or inconvenience to the existing road traffic. No houses, flats or commercial complexes would come below the cable route, as a standard safety measure. Cable car stations at an interval of 1 to 1.5 km would be ideal to ease commuter congestion.
Poma has now submitted its proposal to the Karnataka Government and on obtaining approval they will take up the project. A detailed report about tower installation and stopovers will also be submitted.
“Our company had already installed cable cars in several places in India. A stretch of 3.3 km installed in Kashmir is said to be the longest one. We have installed ropeways in Manali and Sikkim as well. Bengaluru is the appropriate place for the installation of cable cars, we feel,” says Rahul Jain, Poma (France), General Manager.
