India's First Urban Ropeway In Varanasi To Be Commissioned By 2025-End

Vishwa Samudra Holdings Pvt.—the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for India's first urban ropeway in Varanasi—expects the project to be commissioned by the end of 2025, despite construction delays at two stations owing to land acquisition hurdles.

Launched with fanfare by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his parliamentary constituency in March 2023, the project has seen the completion of three stations. However, the 'Godowlia' and 'Girja Ghar' stations are held up as the land needed for the infrastructure is yet to be acquired by the Varanasi Development Authority.

"The process is taking time as the local development authority has to demolish buildings, which will also require the displacement of people to construct the towers," Shivdutt Das, executive director of Vishwa Samudra, told NDTV Profit in an interview. "We have already completed the construction of three stations and are hopeful the land for the remaining two will be provided soon," Das said.

"National Highways Logistics Management Ltd., a subsidiary of National Highways Authority of India, along with state authorities is working on clearing land for the rest two stations,” Das said.

Ropeway Station under construction in Varanasi. (Source: Company)

The five stations under the project include Varanasi Cantonment, Vidya Peeth (Bharatmala Mandir), Rath Yatra, Girja Ghar, and Godowlia Chowk.

The 4-km stretch will feature 150 gondolas or cable cars running at a height of 40 meters from the ground and capable of carrying around 90,000 people daily.

The Varanasi ropeway aims to alleviate significant traffic concerns for pilgrims, visitors, and residents near the Vishwanath Temple and surrounding areas. It will reduce the travel time to Godowlia from 60 minutes to just 16 minutes.

The gondolas or cable cars are designed by Porsche, with Bartholet from Switzerland serving as the technology partner. The total cost of setting up the project is Rs 650 crore.

Ropeway Towers on which gondolas or cable cars will operate, running 40 meters above the ground in Varanasi city. (Source: Company)

Revenue To Double In FY25

The EPC contractor, which previously owned the Krishnapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh, is setting up the Srikakulam Port in the same state and expects two berths of the port to be commissioned by July 2025, with the remaining two berths by December 2025.

“If all goes as planned, we expect the port and the ropeway project to be commissioned by the end of 2025,” Das said.

The company is planning to expand significantly in the biogas and ethanol sectors and strengthen its presence in the highways, ports, and ropeways segments.

“We saw our revenue treble to Rs 3,000 crore in FY24 and expect it to double to Rs 6,000 crore in FY25," Das said. "The majority of revenue is expected from the highways segment, followed by other businesses."

The order book is expected to rise to Rs 30,000 crore, while the company will invest Rs 2,000 crore in debt and equity in FY25, he said.