Shimla: Jakhu temple escalators will be ready by Jan-end

Shimla, January 2

The two escalators of the Jakhu temple will start functioning by the end of this month, making it easy for pilgrims to pay obeisance to deity Hanuman there, said Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri while inspecting the project work today.

Agnihotri said, “The Ropeway and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation is setting up the escalators at a cost of Rs 7.33 crore. Pilgrims won’t have to take stairs after it was ready. Besides benefiting pilgrims, the escalators will be especially helpful for the elderly and differently abled people.”

The two escalators will be joined together and will have a length of 23.23 m each (total length is 46.46 m) and a width of 1.65 m each. The speed of the escalators will be around 0.5 metre per second and it is expected to drop pilgrims at the Lord Hanuman temple within two or three minutes.”

The temple is one of the popular tourist spots of Shimla where the world’s largest idol of Lord Hanuman is installed which attracts tourists and pilgrims of all ages.

Agnihotri said, “Earlier, pilgrims had to climb several stairs to reach the temple and disabled and elderly people used to face a lot of problems. But once the escalators are operational, they won’t face any problem in reaching the temple.”

He added that the work on three other projects of the Ropeway and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation was also underway in Shimla.

The first project involved a lift from the Lakkar Bazaar bus stand to the Ridge, which includes an escalator, four lifts, a restaurant, two foot overbridges and a parking facility, he added. Agnihotri said that the second project involved a lift from the Auckland House area to the Lakkar Bazaar police post while the third project would be executed in Vikasnagar.

(With PTI inputs)