In a boost to tourism in the region, governments of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a ropeway between Anandpur Sahib and Naina Devi.

The MoU signing, which coincided with the 111th birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, took place in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his HP counterpart Jai Ram Thakur.

Amarinder welcomed the agreement as a historic move to facilitate pilgrims visiting Anandpur Sahib, one of the holiest Sikh sites in Punjab and Naina Devi which is one of the most notable places of worship in Himachal. The total distance between these two sites is about 25 kilometers.

The project would prove to be mutually beneficial for the two states, he said, underlining the need to promote tourism to boost the state’s socio-economic development.

The CM also stressed on the huge tourism potential in the region and said it was in the interest of all the states in the region to work collectively to facilitate tourism.

The HP CM said that this project should have been completed long ago because of its importance to the two states. He said though Himachal had cancelled this project in 2014, he initiated its revival after taking over and the Punjab CM supported it all through.

He said this project is a sign of Sikh-Hindu brotherhood, as it links the two historically important shrines of Anandpur Sahib and Naina Devi. He said 25 lakh tourists visit Naina Devi every year and 80 per cent of them are from Punjab.

To be set up in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the ropeway would facilitate lakhs of devotees visiting these two historic and religious sites in a smooth and hassle-free manner.

The two CMs agreed that the project would ease the travel of devotees visiting the two shrines, which were located quite far from each other, with hilly terrain compounding their problems.

The Punjab Tourism department has acquired 108 kanal and 13 Marla of land for setting up a Lower Terminal Point and right of way within the Punjab territory for this purpose.

The project will be executed on PPP mode by setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle. The project is estimated to cost Rs 250 crore and would cover a distance of 3.5 km.

Three terminal points will be Lower Terminal Point (LTP) will be at Anandpur Sahib, Intermediate Terminal Point (ITP) at Toba and Upper Terminal Point (UTP) at Naina Devi.

The total paid up equity for the SPV will be Rs One crore, with Rs 50 lakh each as share of the two states. As per the MoU, both states will have equal share in the revenue, with Concession period of 40 years. Amarinder said the company to carry forward the work will be formed soon and it will have 10 directors, five each from the two stages.