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Tanzania's environment and tourism ministers disagreed over a project to install a cable car on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Tourism Minister Hamisi Kigwangalla announced the program in April to increase the number of visitors to the highest mountain in Africa.
Feasibility studies are underway for the project led by the Ministry of Tourism. A Chinese society and a Western society would have expressed their interest.
Environment Minister Jan Makamba, however, said Sunday that it would be his ministry to issue a license for the cable car after examining its potential risks.
"We will conduct studies to determine what are the risks to the environment and what steps can be taken to mitigate them," he said Sunday to its 700,000 subscribers Twitter.
This provoked a series of reprimands from Kigwangalla, which cast doubt on Makamba's motivations and priorities as a minister.
"Do you think we can set up a project without taking into account the laws on the protection of the environment?" he fought back against his colleague, also from the party in power.
"What environmental damage will a cable car cause?" More than 350,000 hectares of forest are lost every year in this country, which one is the worst? "
Makamba said that he was only reciting the law and that it would be "immature on my part to respond publicly to, discuss, criticize or attack my esteemed colleague".
Approximately 50,000 people climb the mountain each year from nearly 6,000 meters.
But the Ministry of Tourism hopes that a cable car will attract those who can not climb the legendary peak and increase the number of visitors by 50%.
Tourism is a major source of revenue for Tanzania, which is home to not only historic mountains, but also Serengeti National Park, among other natural wonders.
The cable car project has been fiercely opposed by porters' badociations, who fear that it will destroy their livelihoods by opening another path to the "roof of Africa".
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