Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday asserted that the proposed ropeway project in Reasi district cannot be implemented in a “dictatorial manner” when a large number of stakeholders are opposed to it.

Choudhary made the remarks in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after BJP MLA Baldev Raj Sharma, who represents the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi constituency, voiced support for the ropeway project at the revered shrine atop the Trikuta hills.

Emphasising that public sentiment must be respected, the deputy chief minister said shopkeepers, horsemen and palkiwalas fear a loss of livelihood due to the project and have been protesting against it. “Their concerns cannot be brushed aside,” he said, adding that opposition to the ropeway was not confined to any single group.

Choudhary further stated that several devotees were also not in favour of the ropeway in its present form, underlining that faith and livelihoods were both at stake.

Residents of Katra, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, have been opposing the Rs 250-crore ropeway project, which proposes to connect Tarakote Marg to Sanji Chhat along the 12-kilometre steep track leading to the cave shrine.

Defending the project, Sharma said the ropeway was being implemented in compliance with court orders and that the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet had cleared the file in response to directives issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). “I will resign if I am wrong,” he said.

Responding sharply, Choudhary said, “If the people do not want the ropeway, it cannot be forced on them. We are an elected government, not dictators.”

Independent MLA Rameshwar Singh from Bani, who supports the National Conference-led government, also opposed the project, saying that as a Hindu he believed the ropeway was not in harmony with the faith and traditions associated with the shrine.

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The issue triggered noisy scenes in the House, with BJP members raising slogans against the deputy chief minister. Hitting back amid the uproar, Choudhary said he would expose all those involved in illegal mining.