Ropeways now exempted from green nod

NEW DELHI: The Union environment ministry has exempted aerial ropeways from requiring prior environmental clearance. In a notification issued Wednesday, the ministry has said all aerial ropeways will be exempted from environmental clearance and environmental appraisal.

The ministry said the decision was following a request from ministry of road transport to exempt the sector for better connectivity in hilly regions. “...ropeways are an important component of the transport network of the country as it can be used to provide last mile connectivity as well as mobility in hilly areas and the requirement of environmental clearance for these projects came only in 2006 and before that these projects were excluded from the requirement of Environmental Clearance” it stated.

Public utility ropeways have been excluded from the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 subject to certain conditions as per a letter issued by the ministry in 2019. “After detailed deliberation, the said Expert Committee recommended aerial ropeway is an environment friendly mode of transport in hilly areas with least impact on environment”, the notification adds.

“These ropeways are primarily being constructed for tourism or industrial purposes and may not be public necessity. More importantly many of these projects are being implemented in hill and mountainous regions that are extremely vulnerable to climate variability and human induced disasters. EIAs for such projects can act as tools to preempt risks and minimise financial, ecological and social losses,” said Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher at Centre for Policy Research.