- Replacement of 3.6-tonne gearbox expected within days :Syed Qamar Sajad
Srinagar : The famous Gulmarg Gondola service will remain suspended for nearly a week following a technical malfunction in the system, officials said on Tuesday.
Director Tourism Kashmir and Managing Director of the J&K Cable Car Corporation, Syed Qamar Sajad, said the operations were halted after a fault developed in the primary gearbox at the Kondori station of the Gondola, also known as the “G2” phase.
He said the suspension of services was necessary to ensure the safety and security of visitors and tourists.
“Tourist safety is our top priority. The Gondola service will remain temporarily closed until all restoration work is completed and the system is declared fully safe for operations,” he said.
According to officials, the malfunction triggered an emergency response after several tourists became stranded mid-air. Authorities immediately activated rescue protocols and launched a coordinated evacuation operation involving multiple agencies.
Sajad said officials considered both repair work and emergency evacuation options before deciding to first focus on safely rescuing the stranded tourists through a vertical rescue mechanism.
“Saving lives and ensuring the safety of tourists was the foremost concern. Specialized rescue teams were mobilized immediately after the fault was detected,” he said.
The rescue operation was carried out jointly by teams from J&K Police, SDRF and other emergency agencies. Rescue personnel were deployed across different sections of the cable car route, including uphill, middle and downhill stretches, to ensure swift evacuation of passengers.
Officials said all stranded tourists were rescued safely without any injuries and later shifted to secure locations.
The Director Tourism said the damaged gearbox weighs nearly 3.6 tonnes and replacing it with the spare unit available with the corporation is expected to take several days. He added that technical experts are working to restore the service at the earliest possible time.
“We are making every effort to resume operations quickly, but the restoration process may take around four to seven days,” he said.
Meanwhile, the authorities have also constituted an internal technical committee to investigate the reasons behind the malfunction and assess whether any additional mechanical or operational issues were involved.
The Gulmarg Gondola, regarded as one of the major tourist attractions in Kashmir, draws thousands of visitors throughout the year, especially during the winter tourism season.
Officials said strict safety standards and technical inspections would continue to remain a priority before the service is reopened for the public.
