Tk17cr Rangunia cable car remains idle two years after 5 August vandalism, looting
A large portion of the machinery at its two stations and control rooms was looted, while cabin glass, ticket counters, control rooms, and generator rooms were damaged.
The country's only Aviary and Eco Park in Rangunia's Hosnabad, Chattogram, has lost one of its biggest attractions after its government-run cable car was vandalised and looted in August 2024, leaving it inoperative for more than two years.
Built at a cost of around Tk17.67 crore, the 12-cabin cable car carried visitors about 100 feet above the ground over the park's hills, forests and water bodies. Covering around 1,200 metres, it was a major attraction for local and foreign visitors.
A large portion of the machinery at its two stations and control rooms was looted, while cabin glass, ticket counters, control rooms and generator rooms were damaged. According to park officials, repairing and restoring the cable car could cost around Tk30 crore.
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Extensive damage, costly repairs
The lower station, located near the park entrance, now has damaged ticket counters, control and generator rooms, with broken glass and debris scattered across the floor. All seven cabins there have damaged glass, while broken components lie inside.
The upper station, around 2.5km away, is similarly damaged. Five cabins are broken, while the control room's doors, windows and equipment have also been damaged.
Park employees said the two stations were vandalised and looted for three consecutive days from 5 to 7 August 2024. Motors, brakes, circuit boards and other electrical and mechanical equipment were damaged or taken away.
According to the Forest Department, the entire park suffered losses of Tk5.17 crore, including around Tk3 crore at the cable car's two stations and control systems – Tk1.8 crore at the lower station and control room and Tk1.2 crore at the upper station and control room.
The damage estimate does not reflect the actual restoration cost, as an experienced technical team must assess the system and identify the components requiring replacement.
Mihir Kumar Dey, forest conservator for the Chattogram region, told The Business Standard, "Necessary components will have to be imported, which could cost more than Tk30 crore. But the process has not moved forward because there is no allocation."
Repeated shutdowns since launch
The park began operations on 11 November 2013 on 520 acres of protected hilly forest in South Nishchintapur, around 35km from Chattogram city along the Chattogram-Kaptai road.
Built by a foreign company from 2012, the cable car opened on 4 December 2014. Designed for 20 cabins, 12 were operational at one point, with each capable of carrying six adults.
It was first shut in 2015 after heavy rain eroded soil around a pillar at the upper station. The Forest Department later undertook a Tk1.25 crore protective-wall project.
After another closure during the Covid-19 pandemic, a mechanical fault left the cable car inoperative in 2021. It reopened on 30 September 2023 after necessary repairs but closed again following the August 2024 attack.
A Tk125.51 crore second-phase expansion project was approved in 2018, but a plan to extend the cable car was later dropped after a BUET technical team identified complications.
Daily visitors fall below 100
The cable car carried visitors about 100 feet above the ground along a roughly 2.5km route, with each ride taking around seven minutes. Tickets cost Tk230 for adults and Tk115 for children.
Bangladesh's first government-operated cable car opened at Meghla Tourist Complex in Bandarban in 2010, covering 488 metres – only one-fifth of the Rangunia facility's length.
Mohammad Abdul Jabbar, acting officer of the Aviary and Eco Park, told The Business Standard that daily visitors numbered 500 to 700 and sometimes exceeded 1,000 when the cable car operated. The figure has now fallen below 100, cutting cable car ticket revenue and overall park income.
The Forest Department has repaired other damaged facilities using its own funds, but the cable car remains closed due to its expensive and technically complex restoration, said Mehraj Hossain, forest ranger of Rangunia Range.
Meanwhile, the park has been leased to M/S Ayub and Brothers for Tk13.20 lakh for one year, from 1 October 2026 to 1 October 2027. The lease covers entrance-fee collection, three shops, a 2,304-square-metre parking area and one lake, but excludes the damaged cable car.
