India’s leading company in the field, Damodar Ropeways achieves a significant milestone in its operations and has carried 1.85 lakh passengers at four major Deviji sites during the Navratri celebrations. These sites include Vaishno Devi, Maihar – Maa Sharda Devi, Dongargarh – Bambleshwari Devi and Dewas – Chamunda Mata. These numbers have breached the pre-pandemic levels signalling that the situation is now completely back to normal.
Damodar Ropeways & Infra Limited
Among these four sites it had hauled a maximum number of passengers at Vaishno Devi Ropeway (connecting Bhavan to BhaironNathji) – 59,697 followed closely by Maihar (Maa Sharada Temple) – 58,525. At Dongargarh and Dewas it had carried 37,697 and 29,875 persons respectively. All these four places are among the leading shrines dedicated to various forms of Goddess Durga.
Says Aditya Chamaria, Managing Director, Damodar Ropeways & Infra Limited, “It indeed has been a significant achievement for our company. That we could fulfil the expectations of the devotees of the Goddess and make their travel easy has been a truly humbling experience for all of us at Damodar Ropeways. Comparing the pre-pandemic traffic with the present numbers the total volume at present is 15-18% more than the former.”
To ensure a tension-free pilgrimage experience the company had undertaken an all-around improvement in facilities at its sites. From increasing the number of washrooms to drinking water facilities or new covered waiting areas. Its massive efforts also included an overhaul strengthening of the safety mechanism and in-depth audits to increase efficiency, specially at Maihar and Dewas.
Among other things, it had added an ambulance facility, online e-ticketing and a tele-ticket booking facility. As a responsible corporate citizen one of the major passenger-friendly initiatives by the company has been that despite the increase in operating costs, Damodar Ropeway has not increased tariffs in the last 4 years, including the Corona period at Maihar, though contractually allowed.
At the same time, the company has continued to invest and upgrade its facilities as it has always been doing so proactively in the past.Mr. Chamaria adds that, “Post Diwali, some price revisions are expected to help make the operations sustainable again and to allow us to continue upgrading facilities and features to upgrade and make the Maihar Ropeway more modern.”