By Admin 
There is a bad news for all the tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir, especially those visiting Gulmarg in the next one week, because the famous Gondola service will not be operational for at least the next seven days. The world’s second highest and second longest Gondola, which reaches a height of more than 12 thousand feet and is five kilometers long, will remain closed for repairs.
Kashmir Tourism Director Syed Qamar Sajjad, who also holds the additional charge of Managing Director, J&K Cable Car Corporation, following a technical glitch in the Gulmarg Gondola service. He said on Tuesday that to ensure the safety and security of tourists, the operation of the Gondola will be suspended for about a week.
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gearbox malfunction
Syed Qamar Sajjad said that at the Kondori station, commonly known as ‘G2’, there was a technical fault in the primary gearbox, due to which the authorities had to stop the operations and launch a rescue operation to rescue the stranded tourists. Director Qamar said, “We regret to announce that in the interest of the safety of tourists, the Gondola will remain closed for about a week. Once the repair work is completed, operations will resume. It will start. There will be no compromise on safety and security.”
Tourist safety is first priority
According to the tourism director, after the fault was discovered, the authorities had two options, either to repair the faulty gearbox, or to launch an emergency vertical rescue operation to rescue the tourists trapped in the air. “After detailed discussion, our priority was to save the lives of the tourists. We decided to immediately launch a rescue operation through the vertical rescue system,” he said.
He said six special rescue teams were formed and deployed in the upper, middle and lower sections of the Gondola line. “This operation was conducted in coordination with J&K Police, SDRF and other agencies.”
all tourists safe
Syed Qamar Sajjad said that all the tourists have been evacuated safely and are back enjoying their stay in Gulmarg. Sajjad further said that the weight of the damaged gearbox is about 3.6 tonnes and it may take about five to seven days to replace it with a spare unit available with the corporation. He also said that an internal technical committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the malfunction and find out if any other technical problem may have also contributed to the incident.
Efforts to restore Gondola service soon
“We will try our best to restore service as soon as possible, but it may take about four to seven days to get operations back on track,” he said. Describing the Gondola as one of the biggest tourist attractions of Kashmir, especially during the winter season. Sajad said that the administration is fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety for visitors.
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