NONG BUA LUMPHU, Dec 4 (TNA) — Ms Puangpet Chunlaiad, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, said the Loei provincial authority is seeking a budget of 28 million baht budget from the cabinet for the survey and design of a cable car in Phu Kradueng National Park, in the northeastern province of Loei, to promote year-round and elderly tourism.
She said that the cabinet meeting in Nong Bua Lumphu, the first official mobile cabinet meeting, agreed in principle and the Budget Bureau was asked to prioritize the urgency of the project.
She said that the budget is for a survey of the terrain, to determine whether it is possible for a cable car to be built, and for the design of the cable car project, but not for the construction, which must be approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The project must also pass an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
She said the cable car would be an alternative for elderly people wanting to go to the top of the mountain in Phu Kradueng district. Not everybody was capable of making the journey on foot which could take seven to eight hours.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai earlier said that the Phu Kradueng cable car was a matter for brainstorming and joint consideration by all concerned parties.
He said careful studies were needed because there were still conflicts of opinion about the project. He added that many people were still concerned about the environmental impact. He stressed that careful studies were needed.
A cable car for the park which was proposed in 1982 has been a controversial project for several decades and has been continuously opposed by environmentalists.
Opponents were also concerned about environmental impacts as the cable car would bring more tourists. (TNA)
