Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) [India], July 29 (ANI): In a significant development, tourists will have to pay an entry fee to walk on the glass skywalk of the newly constructed Bajrang Setu in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand government officials said on Wednesday.
The Public Works Department (PWD), Narendra Nagar, has prepared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for implementing the user fee, which has received approval from the state government, with the new rules expected to be enforced soon in the city.
The department will shortly initiate the tender process, following which visitors will be charged ₹50 for children and ₹100 for adults to access the bridge’s glass walkway.
According to Praveen Karnwal, Executive Engineer, the movement of people on the footpath will be allowed between 6 am and 10 pm, while the middle concrete portion will remain accessible round the clock free of cost.
“Work on Bajrang Setu is complete. Administration has put an SOP in place for walking on the glass footpath on both sides and how will safety be maintained. So, a tender has been invited under which a charge of Rs 100 per person for 2 hours and Rs 50 for children will be levied. The charges are in place to see that about 48 people will be needed for convenience and safety of people. They will work in 3 shifts…Movement of people on the footpath will be allowed between 6 am to 10 pm. The middle portion made of concrete will be accessible round the clock free of cost..,” Kanwal told ANI.
Bajrang Setu, India’s first glass-floored cable suspension bridge, has been built near the old Lakshman Jhoola on the Ganga river in Rishikesh, connecting Tapovan in Tehri Garhwal to Jonk in Pauri Garhwal.
Constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 60-70 crore, the 132-meter-long and 8-meter-wide bridge features a 5-meter-wide central steel deck designed for two-wheeled vehicles alongside glass walkways on both sides. The glass walkways were constructed using layers of strong, 12 mm thick tempered glass. (ANI)
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