Srinagar, May 26 (KNO): Following the technical snag in the Gulmarg Gondola service, Director Tourism Kashmir, Syed Qamar Sajad, who also holds the additional charge of Managing Director of the J&K Cable Car Corporation, on Tuesday said the Gondola operations will remain suspended for around a week to ensure the safety and security of tourists.
He said a technical fault developed in the primary gearbox at the Kondori station, commonly referred to as “G2”, forcing authorities to suspend operations and launch a rescue mission for stranded tourists.
“With regret, we announce that the Gondola will remain closed for around a week in the interest of tourists’ safety. Once restoration work is completed, operations will resume. There will be no compromise on safety and security,” Director Qamar said, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
He said authorities were left with two options after the snag surfaced — either to repair the faulty gearbox or carry out an emergency vertical rescue operation to evacuate tourists stranded mid-air.
“After detailed discussions, our priority was to safeguard the lives of tourists. We decided to immediately launch the rescue operation through the vertical rescue system,” he said.
He said six specialised rescue teams were constituted and deployed across the uphill, middle and downhill sections of the Gondola line. “The operation was conducted in coordination with J&K Police, SDRF and other agencies.”
“All tourists were evacuated safely and are back enjoying their stay in Gulmarg,” he said.
Sajad further said the damaged gearbox weighs around 3.6 tonnes and replacing it with a spare unit available with the corporation may take nearly five to seven days. He added that an internal technical committee has also been constituted to investigate the reasons behind the fault and examine whether any other technical issues contributed to the incident.
“We will try our best to restore the service at the earliest, but it may take around four to seven days to get operations back on track,” he said.
Calling the Gondola one of Kashmir’s biggest tourist attractions, especially during winter, Sajad said the administration remains committed to maintaining the highest safety standards for visitors—(KNO)