Barsana is famous for its 'lath maar Holi.' Each day hundreds of tourists cum pilgrims visit the holy town of Radha Rani, consort of Sri Krishna.

Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) vice chairman Nagendra Pratap told Samiksha Bharti News Service that it was only a matter of time. "The project is ready. The empowered committee will soon submit its report to the apex court. We have to wait till then."

A two-member empowered committee of the ministry of environment and forests, at the initiative of the Supreme Court had visited Barsana last month and after detailed survey followed by interaction with locals said their report would be submitted within four weeks. 

Nagendra Pratap, vice chairman of the Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority said "we had applied for the project. To study the conditions and the need, the committee members visited the site Friday. Now we have to wait for their report before proceeding any further. A motorable road is there, but it is too narrow and has several sharp cuts.

Around 25-30 trees will need to be axed to make way for the rope way project. 

Sources indicated that the report of the empowered committee would now be placed before the Supreme Court which monitors all projects in the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone, spread over 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal.

NK Janu, the District Forest Officer of Mathura emphasized that the rope way will be an eco – friendly transport to the hill as it will be battery operated.

Green activists in Sri Krishna Land (Braj) have opposed the move for a rope way project in Barsana for the convenience of elderly and disabled pilgrims who want to have a darshan of Radha at the famous hill top temple.

Eco-activists in Mathura and Vrindavan have opposed the project saying "while the rope way may boost tourism, it could also lead to disastrous consequences both on the local culture and the ecology."

Friends of Vrindavan convener Jagan Nath Poddar said "turning a pilgrim centre into a tourist spot is a slippery road to disaster. Not only will the tranquility of the area would be disturbed but even the sanctity of a holy place could be compromised in the long run." This touch and go type tourism had already harmed Vrindavan which now finds itself deluged in rising graph of crime and carnal sins.

River activist Madhu Mangal Shukla said people coming to Sri Krishna land should come with a humility as pilgrims and not as marauding tourists out to have fun. "In Barsana they have enough facilities like palkis and a motorable road all the way to the temple."

Girdhari Brajwasi said "it is not about 25 countries that would be sacrificed. It would open the flood gates for socalled development by realtors who would turn the green patches brown with concrete structures.

“We have lost Vrindavan to the greed of the people selling the land. We don’t want the Vrindavan experience is repeated there. People should come here for Bhakti, not for masti, said Dhananjay Goutam.

The green buffer along the Rajasthan desert needs to be intensified and not reduced, warned Braj Bachao Samiti member Pavan Gautam who said everywhere from the Yamuna flood plains to the hills of Barsana environment and ecology of the Braj was under threat.