Sambalpur: To ensure visitors’ safety, the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) has written to the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research in Jharkhand‘s Dhanbad for conducting non-destructive testing of the Hirakud ropeway.
The enforcement officer of the SMC, Subhankar Mohanty, said that with the arrival of tourist season, the ropeway has started witnessing large footfall.
“The safety and security of people is our priority. Hence, we have written to the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research for testing of the ropeway. The test will be conducted to find out if there is any flaw,” TOI reported Mohanty as saying.
Mohanty said they are in regular contact with the director of the institute. A team is likely to visit Sambalpur for the testing next month for which around Rs 5 lakh will be spent.
Mohanty further added that testing at regular intervals is essential for the safety and security of the people. Previously, the hanger of the ropeway was found faulty and subsequently replaced.
Notably, non-destructive testing is a technique used to evaluate the properties of a material, component, structure, or system for characteristic differences or welding defects and discontinuities without causing damage. The last test of the ropeway was conducted in 2021.
The ropeway started its operations on November 26, 2019. It connects Jawahar Udyan with Gandhi Minar at Hirakud dam.
While Jawahar Udyan is a park below the dam, Gandhi Minar is a watch tower that provides a bird’s eye view of the reservoir and the dam.
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