(Sane Bahadur Nepali) The construction of a cable care service in Bandipur has completed approximately 95 percent. Although the project was scheduled to be over two months ago, there is a delay due to ongoing COVID-19, said Ram Chandra Sharma, chairperson of the Bandipur Cable Car and Tourism Limited, adding that it may take one year to complete the project.

Mechanical equipment should be brought from foreign countries, which is one of the factors leading to the delay, he said. “Construction work is expedited so as to complete the project soon. Now 50 to 60 workers are at work.” It requires skilled workers for finishing the project. So skilled workforce would be increased, he said. Under the project, a 15-storey queen tower will be constructed from where visitors can view surrounding areas. Likewise, a four-storey hotel will be also constructed.

One can view sunrise from the hotel. The hotel building will house a wax museum, a planetarium, an artificial haunted house, a conference hall that accommodates around 1,000 people and a swimming pool. It is estimated to cost Rs 800 million to build the queen tower. A bungee jumping at reportedly world’s high place, a mechanical swimming and a musical tower show will be added to the project, said the cable care operator Tara Nath Upadhyay.

The cable car service project is estimated to cost Rs 1.6 billion. Stations for the service will be built at Thuldhunga in Bandipur rural municipality-4 and Baralthok in the rural municipality. One can travel 1.6 kilometers on a cable car cabin. Around 200 passengers can travel two ways at once. Nepal SBI Bank and NMB Bank Limited are banking partners.

The RKD Real Estate and Construction Limited and the Tourism Investment Fund Limited have 61 percent shares in the project followed by 25 percent of the Panchase Cable Car and Tours Limited and 14 percent of the Bandipur rural municipality.