NGT Issues Notice to State and Centre over Bijli Mahadev Ropeway Project
Kullu
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Himachal Pradesh government and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change over the proposed ₹284-crore Bijli Mahadev ropeway project in Kullu, which has sparked strong opposition from local residents.
Notices have also been served to the State Forest Department and the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board, directing them to respond to the allegations before the next hearing scheduled for November 25.
The 2.4-km ropeway, part of the central government’s Parvatmala initiative, aims to connect Pirdi with the hilltop Bijli Mahadev temple, reducing the arduous journey to just seven minutes and enabling travel for up to 36,000 passengers per day. However, villagers have raised objections citing environmental risks and religious sentiments, demanding that the project be scrapped.
Interestingly, Maheshwar Singh, former BJP state president and scion of Kullu’s erstwhile royal family, has also extended support to the movement. “Deity culture has its own sanctity and must be respected. Reports of cracks on the Bijli Mahadev hills and damage to the Kullu-Manali highway are clear signs of divine displeasure. This project must be cancelled,” he said.
The NGT’s intervention follows a petition filed by local resident Nachiketa Sharma, who flagged large-scale deforestation and slope instability in the ecologically fragile Kharal valley and Bijli Mahadev hills. He alleged the project was cleared without essential studies such as carrying capacity, slope stability, and cumulative environmental impact assessments, despite earlier recommendations from an NGT-appointed joint committee. The state government itself, in an affidavit submitted in May 2025, had admitted the need for such studies.
The petitioner further claimed that the project violated the Forest Rights Act, 2006, by failing to consult affected communities or obtain Gram Sabha resolutions. He also submitted photographic evidence of landslides and subsidence at the site during the monsoon, underscoring the instability of the Himalayan slopes.
According to the petition, at least 77 deodar trees have already been felled out of the 203 marked for clearance across 3.1 hectares of forest land, causing immediate environmental damage.
The project continues to face strong resistance from residents, local panchayats, and temple custodians, who argue it threatens irreversible ecological harm while disrespecting the sacred meadows of Bijli Mahadev.
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