Nagpur: There is exciting news for tourists! They may soon be able to spot tigers sailing above the dense forests of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) on a ropeway. French ropeway company POMA SAS has plans to come up with what may be the world’s first such service running over a jungle. The project aims to enhance wildlife tourism without disturbing the natural habitat.
A Letter of Intent (LoI) was handed over by Benjamin Fauchier Delavigne, the company’s Public Affairs Director and Head of Sales in Asia, to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the foundation stone ceremony of Pernod Ricard’s distillery in Butibori on Monday.
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POMA SAS, which already operates ropeway systems in Mussoorie, Kashmir, Patni Top, and Dehradun, envisions the Tadoba project as a state-of-the-art ropeway with trolleys traversing the jungle at various angles, ensuring a smooth and eco-friendly experience for visitors. “The ropeway will be designed to operate without disturbing the peace and tranquillity of the forest,” the company said.
Fadnavis said the government would study POMA’s letter of intent and would involve Forest and Tourism Departments to study the proposal for its sustainability before inking a memorandum of understanding. “We will explore how to make the project sustainable and how it fits into all rules and regulations. We are planning to expedite the process,” he said.
Prasanna Mohile, National President of Pernod Ricard, who facilitated the project, added that the ropeway safari would provide a pollution-free and convenient passage through the jungle, expanding safari access without harming the ecosystem. “The project is expected to create employment opportunities for locals and will include food corners and washroom facilities at regular intervals,” he told media.
The company’s decision to approach the Maharashtra Government was influenced by the State’s newly announced tourism policy. Benjamin highlighted Nagpur’s significance as the Tiger Capital.
Fadnavis said that the proposed ropeway system would be the country’s first system installed in forests. “It will help the visitors watch the wild animals in an efficient and eco-friendly manner. Besides, the new system will not even disturb the wild animals,” he said.
As of now, the visitors can take a jungle safari in Tadoba National Park sitting in an open vehicle and watch wild animals like tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears, and more. But the forest authorities allow only a limited number of vehicles every day to minimise human activities in the jungle area.
Later on, talking to the media, Delavigne said a ropeway would be a better option for visitors to explore the forest. POMA, already operating cable cars and ropeways at a couple of locations in the country, will soon conduct a survey of the forest to decide the route, size and shape of the cable cars.
