Guwahati: Ropeway's motor undergoing repair, service likely to resume on September 1

Guwahati: Merely two days after its inauguration, the nation's longest river ropeway in Guwahati sputtered to a halt due to a technical snag. The problem has now taken a serious turn and the service will be suspended until the motor -- that has been damaged -- is repaired or a replacement is procured.

On Wednesday, August 26, it came to light that the cable car system had stopped working due to fluctuations in electricity input which damaged the motor. Although operations are on in full earnest, the authorities have so far failed in restarting the mechanism and getting the ropeway service going once again.

The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), tasked with keeping the ropeway going, has said that the motor of the ropeway, that costs several lakh rupees, is being repaired so that the cable car service can once again ferry passengers. The GMDA is constantly keeping in touch with experts in Kolkata to find a solution to the problem at hand.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of the GMDA, Umananda Doley, told The Sentinel Digital that the restoration of the service could take several more days. "On the very first day itself, the machine ferried over 700 passengers and people queued up for hours for a ride. However, unexpectedly, the motor got damaged and mechanics are trying to repair it. However, that is a time-consuming process and is expected to take a few days."

Doley further informed that an order for a brand new motor has already been placed. "Damodar Ropeway Service, the company behind the project, has placed an order for another motor that costs Rs. 4.8 lakh so that we can keep it on standby in case of future glitches. However, each motor is custom-made and this motor will arrive only after 2-3 months. For the time being, they will arrange a motor that is being sent from Gangtok and will reach us tomorrow. Hopefully, we will be able to resume the services very soon," he said.

The Assam government on Monday had inaugurated the 1.8-km-long ropeway — aimed at boosting tourism in the state and lessening the time taken to traverse between the two shores of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati.

Built at a cost of Rs 56.08 crore, the ropeway was opened to the public on Monday after a lavish inauguration ceremony featuring the ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Siddhartha Bhattacharya, nearly 11 years after work on it was started.

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