PRE-FEASIBILITY REPORT SURKANDA DEVI ROPEWAY PROJECT Kaddukhal, District- Tehri Garhwal Uttarakhand Submitted to: Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change Government of India Submitted by: SURKANDADEVI ROPEWAY PROJECT COMPANY PRIVATE LIMITED 23/1 RAJPUR ROAD, DEHRADUN, UTTRAKHAND Environment Consultant Prepared By: M/S PERFACT ENVIRO SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD. (NABET Registered wide list of accredited consultants organizations/ Rev 21A/ 19 th August, 2014 at S.No-110) 5th Floor, NN Mall, Mangalam Place, Sector 3, Rohini, New Delhi Phone No.: 011-47528467, 011-47021086 Fax No: 011-47528434 Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project Project Description The Government of Uttarakhand (GOU) wishes to develop an aerial passenger ropeway between Kaddukhal & Surkanda Devi Temple in order to promote tourism in the region. The proposed ropeway shall be developed through Public Private Partnership mode on Build, Operate and Transfer (the “BOT”) basis. The Project is a 500 m long ropeway, covering an area of 5620 sq m (including Lower Terminal Station, Upper Terminal Station & ropeway corridor). Lower Terminal Point (LTP) and Upper Terminal Point (UTP) are proposed near Kaddukhal and Surkanda Devi Temple. Type of Project The project being an Aerial Ropeway falls under the item 7 (g) of the EIA notification, 2006 and is a designated Project as per Schedule and falls under category A, as the Temple is at an elevation of 2737 m above MSL. Project Proponent Uttrakahnd Tourism Development Board (UTDB) as part their initiative to improve tourism based facilities and socio economic structure of local population directed Uttrakahnd Infrastructure Project Company Private Limited (UPIC) (a 50:50 joint venture company between Government of Uttrakahnd and ILFS) to undertake detailed Feasibility and Project Viability Analysis for establishment of passenger ropeway to the temple of Surkanda Devi. UPIC on their part issued RFP/RFQ documents to prospective bidders in October 2012; after ascertaining project viability and obtaining all mandatory approval for the captioned project. The Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project was awarded to M/s K. R. Anand and M/s KRA Infrastructure Developers Pvt. Ltd. through competitive bidding and letter of award (LOA) on 31-01-2013. A special purpose company was formed as Surkanda devi Ropeway Project Company Private Limited for design, construction, operation and maintenance of the ropeway project under revenue sharing model. The lease duration of the project is 30 years, extendable by an additional 10 years. 2 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project Description of Project Site: Surkanda Devi temple is dedicated to Sati-wife of Lord Shiv. According to the legend, Sati gave up her life in the argument with her father, as Prajapati Daksha was not ready to accept Shiv as her daughter's husband. It is said that Lord Shiv brought Sati's dead body, on his trishul to this place from Haridwar. Because Lord Shiv was dancing furiously with the dead body of his wife, Lord Vishnu started cutting the body parts of Sati with his Sudarshan Chakra. The head of Sati fell at this place and hence the place got the name Surkanda . Temple is situated on the peak of a hill approachable by 1.6 km fairly steep foot path from the nearest motorable road. It is surrounded by dense forests and affords a scenic view of the surrounding region including the Himalayas to the north, and certain cities to the south (e.g., Dehradun, Rishikesh) Need/Justification of the Project: Presently the devotees face hardship in climbing this stretch of approach to the temple. This ropweway system is proposed to negotiate this tough reach in a comfortable & environment friendly way. Location of the Project Alignment Surkanda Devi Temple is situated on the peak of a hill at Village Kaddukhal in the western part of Tehri Tehsil, District Tehri Garhwal, Uttrakhand. The temple is at elevation of 2737 m from MSL. The lower terminal Station, Kaddukhal is on Dhanaulti- Chamba road. Kddukhal is at 40 Km distance from Mussoorie, 75 Km from Dehradun & at 8 Km distance from Dhanaulti.The location map of the Project alignment is shown below: 3 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project 4 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project The lat long of the site are given below: Station Latitude Longitude Lower Terminal Station 78 017’19.21”E 30 024’23.52”N Upper terminal Station 78 017’17.24”E 30 024’40.09”N Connectivity (distances from Surkanda Devi Temple): • Airport : Jolly Grant, 26 kms • Railway Station : Rishikesh Railway Station, 33 kms Dehradun Railway Station,26 Kms 5 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project • Road : The nearest road head is at Kaddukhal which is connected by road going from Dhanaulti to Chamba. Surkanda Devi Temple is 1.6 kms from Kaddukhal on foot. Area Requirement: The area required for the construction of the terminal stations and line towers would be about 5620 sqm. The detailed area summary is given below: Area required for Area (sq m) Lower Terminal Station, 300 Kadukhal Upper Terminal Station, 300 Surkanda Devi Temple Ropeway corridor 5020 Total 5620 sq m Alternative routes assessed Five alternative routes were assessed, which are as discussed below: Alternative Latitude Longitude Elevation Difference Alternative I LTP- 30 024’23.52”N LTP-78 017’19.21”E 215 m UTP- 30 024’40.09”N UTP- 78 017’17.24”E Alternative-II LTP- 30 024’22.26”N LTP-78 017’17.98”E 231 m UTP- 30 024’41.53”N UTP- 78 017’14.63”E Alternative-III LTP- 30 024’49.37”N LTP-78 017’49.69”E 291 m UTP- 30 024’39.66”N UTP- 78 017’20.13”E Alternative-IV LTP- 30 024’22.70”N LTP-78 017’19.24”E 226 m UTP- 30 024’39.78”N UTP- 78 017’19.09”E Alternative-V LTP- 30 024’22.96”N LTP-78 017’18.61”E 223 m UTP- 30 024’40.53”N UTP- 78 017’16.04”E 6 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project Selected Alignment: Out of the five alternative routes the Alternative-II was found appropriate as it was the most stable stretch, the requirement of space was minimum and minimal no. of trees will be disturbed. Also, the UTP is located reasonably away from the Shrine so as to not cause any interference. The five alternative alignments are shown in the figure below: The total length of proposed ropeway alignment is working out to be 500 m. The LTP is proposed near GMVNL rest house at Kaddukhal. The UTP is proposed near the Dharamshala towards South West on gradual slope. Merits of the selected Alignment: The alignment for the proposed ropeway project was selected based on the following guidelines: i) Availability of adequate space for proposed terminal stations; 7 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project ii) Low density of forest cover thereby reducing number of trees to be felled; iii) Major points / locations to be connected along the route; iv) Minimum possible infringement with the environment; v) No rehabilitation or relocation involved vi) Stability of the location vis-à-vis geology; and vii) Financialfeasibility of constructing terminal stations. viii) Minimum numbers of trees are required to be cut. Proposed Ropeway System Technology Mono-cable Jig back system In this system one endless hauling rope supports and hauls two cabins, one in forward direction and the other in reverse direction between the terminal stations. The cabins are fixed to the rope. Once the cabins reach the terminal stations the movement of the ropeway is reversed. Mono-cable uses cabins of comparatively lower passenger carrying capacity. Advantages • Reduced terminal space requirement • Cost effective • Simplicity of operation and maintenance Constraints • Low transportation capacity Specifications & Guidelines The specifications and guidelines are provided for the various project components (Ropeway System, associated infrastructure) including, but not limited to the following major provisions: The Concessionaire shall consider Specifications provided by Bureau of Indian Standards and other applicable statutory code of practices like Indian Electricity Act, National Building Code, 8 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Surkanda Devi Ropeway Project Municipal Building Bylaws of Uttarakhand, etc for design, construction, operation and applicable maintenance of the project facilities. The Concessionaire shall adhere to the provisions of any Act for passenger ropeway that is applicable for enacted in future in the state of Uttarakhand. In case of ropeway Cabins and its associated part to be mandatorily procured imported, suitable international standards with justification may be followed. Maintenance Schedule: Detailed operation and maintenance instruction manuals covering all aspects of maintenance of the Ropeway System would form an integral part of system documentation. The essential aspects of maintenance are, however, briefly listed below: cabins, hangers and grips etc shall be done. Periodic lubrication at the Stations shall be done. Routine lubrication at the Stations. Regular cleaning at stations to ensure a clean and dust-free atmosphere. Periodic Inspection, checking and replacement of hauling rope especially the spliced zones. Inspection, checking, lubrication and replacement if and when required of line components such as line sheaves. Tightening of all station tower bolts periodically. Checking of prime mover such as motors, gearbox, couplings etc. Regular checking of service and emergency brakes. Regular checking of DG set and Diesel Engine. Mock trial of rescue system at periodic intervals. Adequate maintenance spares will be stocked for smooth operation. Special tools & tackles will kept in the workshop 3. ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN Land Environment: Construction phase: 9 M/s Perfact Enviro Solutions Pvt. Ltd.