Phu Kradueng cable car
The Phu Kradueng Cable Car project has been floated, on and off, for three decades and has been opposed by some villagers and conservationists. Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei province is the most popular national park in the country in terms of visitors, and the gruelling trek up the mountain (four to seven hours) has been a rite of passage for Thai university students for several decades.
The authorities on Dec 8 hosted the final public hearing on the project. The plan will be submitted to the cabinet by the end of this year or early next year. If approved, the project, which will require cutting down trees, will provide an alternative route for older people and small children to reach the summit. The cable car will take just 15 minutes. Construction will cost around 600 million baht and is expected to give a boost to tourism.
The project is expected to incite resistance from conservationists, who fear it will open the door for construction of cable cars in other national parks. They fear the ease of the ascent will overload the park with unsustainable numbers of tourists. Villagers who make a living carrying bags for climbers are expected to lose their livelihoods if the cable car is built.
December 15, 2014 - Environment for disaster : Phu Kradueng cable car