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Three-member panel formed to probe ropeway technical snag

By Staff Reporter - 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM GMT

GUWAHATI, Sept 10 - More than 15 days after the passenger ropeway over the Brahmaputra river connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati had developed a technical snag, the State government today formed a three-member committee to ascertain the causes leading to the problem. While certain quarters wondered as to why it took the government so long to order the enquiry, the order stated that the service of the ropeway had to be stopped on the very second day of its inauguration due to the failure of ropeway machinery and this has caused a huge revenue loss to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and inconvenience to tourists.

The committee comprises GMDA Secretary Ananta Kumar Gogoi, Associate Professor of Electronics and Electrical Engineering Department of IIT Guwahati Dr Praveen Tripathy, and senior consultant engineer JN Khataniar. The committee has been asked to file a report of its findings within 15 days.

On August 24, State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the ropeway in the presence of Guwahati Development Department Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya. On August 26 morning, the ropeway developed a technical snag. Later, GMDA resumed its operation after a few days.

It is India�s longest ropeway over a river with a length of 1.82 km and as stated in its official website, GMDA has spent Rs 5,608.20 lakh for the project.

According to a source, as a remedial measure, GMDA has brought the motor from the ropeway located in Gangtok to run the Guwahati-North Guwahati ropeway. The operation of the Gangtok ropeway is currently under suspension in view of the ongoing pandemic.

Meanwhile, the motor, which had developed a technical snag, has become operational after repairing.

Enquiry committee member Khataniar today carried out a preliminary study and found that fluctuation in electricity voltage was a cause, due to which the ropeway had developed the snag. He said that there is a need to install automatic voltage regulator to avoid any such incident in the coming days. He also said that the committee will submit its report to the government by next week.