Surendranagar: Chotila in Zalawad is the abode of Maa Chamunda. Thousands of devotees have to climb the 655 steps in order to pay their obeisances to the deity. To eliminate the need to climb these 655 steps, the state government has approved setting up of a rope-way project at tourist destination of Chotila.

A company from Abu Road in Rajasthan has been given the work of setting up the rope-way project, which will be completed by December 31, 2023. This announcement has been made in a Gazette published by the Gujarat Government.

The rope-way project had been cleared around three years back during Vijay Rupani’s stint as chief minister. However, the work on the project was allotted at the time to a company with no experience of developing such a project. Eventually, work on the project got stalled due to related litigations.

The government has now re-approved the project and allotted the work to Marsh Entertainment Pvt Ltd based in Abu Road in Rajasthan.

The one-way journey in the rope-way at Chotila is likely to cost Rs 100 while the fare for the to-and-fro journey could be fixed as Rs 130. After the rope-way become functional, it will not be allowed to ferry more than 8 people at a time. The works are likely to be completed by December 2023. Ground breaking ceremony could take place anytime before the implementation of the model code of conduct ahead of the State assembly elections later this year.

DeshGujarat