The Kathmandu-Hetauda ropeway, which went out of operation two decades ago, poses a safety threat to the locals of several settlements in Makwanpur district. What remains of the ropeway is now in a dilapidated condition with dangling wires and rusty poles that may snap anytime.

We fear that the defunct ropeway might soon come to pieces so we remain cautious everytime we cross the section, said locals.

There could be a huge loss of life and property if the authorities don’t do something about the ropeway,” said Hidam Lama, chief of Bhimphedi Rural Municipality. The ropeway line runs above Dhursing, Golping, Gunding settlements of Bhimphedi and other villages in the district.

The cables and carriers have slowly been giving in to gravity and might fall on the houses below, causing some serious damage. The local people also complained that the ropeway poles are tilting at a dangerous angle and are on the verge of collapse.

Moreover, an electric transmission line of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) also runs very close to the ropeway line. The locals are worried about instances of short circuit during stormy weather. They have been putting forth their demands with the elected representatives to resolve the problem as soon as possible. The Bhimphedi Rural Municipality recently held a meeting over the issue and urged both the federal and provincial governments and the NEA to clear out the ropeway cables and carriers. The local unit wrote to the authorities on March 19, demanding immediate clearance.

The operation of the 42-km long ropeway, constructed 54 years ago to transport goods, discontinued in 1994. The cargo ropeway used to run for 10 hours and carried 22 tonnes of goods every day. Over the years, the authorities concerned have neither preserved the cables and other goods nor have they made attempts to completely remove the defunct ropeway. Goods worth million of rupees were also stolen in the course of time.