The Himachal Pradesh government is advancing its ambitious urban mobility project by transferring 2.7427 hectares of non-forest land for the development of the 13.73-kilometer Shimla ropeway system. This significant land transfer complements the previously allocated 6.1909 hectares of forest land for the same project.
Land Transfer Details and Environmental Clearances
The identified non-forest land, scattered across various urban pockets of Shimla, contains trees and shrubs that will need to be cleared during construction. Authorities have not yet completed a comprehensive count of the trees standing on this non-forest land, but the clearance process will be simpler than for forest areas.
Divisional Forest Officer Rakesh Katoch with RTDC confirmed that neither the user agency nor the state government requires permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for work on this non-forest land. Instead, permission to remove trees, plants, and shrubs will be sought exclusively from the Tree Authority Committee of the Shimla administration when construction begins.
Project Scope and Land Ownership
The massive ropeway project, valued at Rs. 1,743.40 crore, represents one of northern India's most significant urban transportation initiatives. All transferred land, both forest and non-forest categories, will be managed by the Ropeway and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation.
The non-forest land parcels belong to various entities, primarily government departments including the Public Works Department, Irrigation and Public Health Department, Himachal Forest Department, and the Municipal Corporation. RTDC has not yet begun the process of taking over this non-forest land as each department has specific terms and conditions for land transfer.
Specific Locations and Project Significance
The identified non-forest land parcels are located in multiple areas including Up Mohal Kaithu, Up Mohal Kali Bari, Sanjauli Chowk, Panjri, Up Mohal Chaura Maidan, Up Mohal Nabha, Up Mohal Station Ward Bara, Shankli, Up Mohal US Club, and Up Mohal Banmore.
In some locations, forest and non-forest land parcels are adjacent to each other. For instance, in Up Mohal Chaura Maidan, 0.2439 hectares of non-forest land sits beside 0.5198 hectares of forest land. Similarly, in Up Mohal US Club, 0.0742 hectares of non-forest land is located close to 0.1137 hectares of forest land, where a station, lift, and two towers are planned.
According to the 2021 Forest Survey of India assessment, 47.21 percent of Shimla's total geographical area of 5,131 square kilometers is forested. The ropeway project has been under discussion for over a decade as a solution to Shimla's worsening traffic congestion and parking crises.
Earlier proposals, including the Sky Bus and subsequent ropeway concepts, failed to materialize due to land availability issues and delays in obtaining necessary clearances. The current project represents a significant step forward in addressing the city's transportation challenges.
For the forest land component of the project, the state forest department has proposed felling more than 820 trees, with approximately half being deodars, from the 6.1909 hectares of forest land. As compensation, RTDC has been recommended to plant more than 4,000 saplings at the Luhri forest area in Kullu district.
RTDC obtained permission from MoEFCC in October to take over the identified forest land, marking a crucial milestone for the project's progression. The transfer of non-forest land represents the next phase in bringing this long-awaited urban mobility solution to fruition.
