By Rick M 
The newly inaugurated cable car at Bhairahawa is another site, which has developed as a tourists trap after it was plunged into operation earlier this week in Butwal. Currently under construction is the cable car, which links Butwal in Rupandehi to the hill of Basantapur in Palpa, and this tourist attraction which has been quickly attracting locals and visitors including Indians from Gorakhpur.
Currently the project is being implemented by a private sector known as Lumbini Cable Car which has committed around Rs 3 billion for the project, 75 percent as funded by the IME Group and the remaining percent by the local Butwal based entrepreneurs. The cable car ride takes 10 minutes and will enable the visitors to view the entire Tarai, hills, and mountains destinations offering chance to view deviation from the plain areas due to heat.
Some features that are available at the top station of Lumbini Cable Car are the zipline, swimming pool, children’s park, picnic spot, restaurants, and others as authorized by the project manager of Lumbini Cable Car, Gokul Saud. The project has also remodeled the temple of lord Durga into the temple of Kamakhya Devi with the purpose of increasing religious tourism. Next year, the construction of a five-star hotel with 150 rooms and a casino is planned for the second stage.
The cable car has a carrying capacity of six thousand passengers per day, twenty four gondolas of which each has a holding capacity of eight passengers at a go. Three kilometers of cable car length is accompanied by nine towers. It has obtained 6.27 hectares forest land right from the government for 25years and highlighting the importance of sensible development of forest.
Chandra Dhakal, the chairman of Lumbini Cable Car, said that the project’s tourism prospects will improve the frequency of tourism in the region. He said that the Basantapur hilltop could become a favorite place for the people of Bhairahawa and other Indian cities, which will increase the time that Indians stay in Lumbini and force them to visit Palpa and even Pokhara.
The fare of cable car is Rs1,000 per head, but home based and students are given 25 percent discount. As seen from the top station there are hilly districts neighboring the area including Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Pyuthan, Syangja and Tanahu. On the clear day it is possible to see the city of Gorakhpur in India. Siddha Baba Temple located close to the property enhances the area’s attraction for faith and spirituality travellers.
According to Dal Bahadur Gurung, the president of the Siddha Baba Area Development Committee, Butwal needs to be developed as a religious destination as well, after developing as a business destination. This vision can be seen as part of the longer term plan to develop Butwal for different types of visitors.
This function, together with the Lumbini Cable Car, has appealed to tourists and awakened interest in the expansion of the region. The Siddhartha cable car in the northwest of Butwal is also under construction and almost ready to be launched. This 2 KM cable car connecting Butwal and Nuwakot Hill in Palpa district costs Rs 1 billion, which is being contributed by the local businessmen only. Expected to start its operations before mid-October, the project entails the construction of a hotel for the elite, a children’s playground, a tourist information center, a Buddhist temple, and a view tower at the crest of the hill.
When implemented, these projects will greatly contribute to the economic development of Butwal, job creation, and the placing of Butwal on the tourism map of Nepal. This mix of social infrastructure with history and culture may turn Butwal into one of the key centres of tourism attraction in the area.