Punjab, Himachal sign pact on ropeway between Hindu, Sikh shrines

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Himachal Pradesh governments on Friday signed an agreement to build a Rs 250 crore ropeway project connecting popular Sikh and Hindu shrines in both states.

The agreement was signed by senior officers of both governments in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his Himachal counterpart Jai Ram Thakur.

Punjab Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was present on the occasion.

The ropeway project, expected to be completed in three years, will connect the birthplace of the `Khalsa Panth` at Takht Keshgarh Sahib in the Sikh holy town of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab and Mata Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.

The Chief Ministers welcomed the move to revive the 3.5 km-long ropeway project which was shelved in 2014.

"We are very happy that this project has been revived. Both governments will work together to ensure its completion on time," Amarinder Singh said.

"This project should have been completed a long time back but it did not happen. But we have come together to make it happen," Jai Ram Thakur said.