Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 25 : Following a month-long suspension due to a technical snag, the Gulmarg Gondola services have officially resumed after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah personally visited the Gondola site, reviewed the functioning of the system, and assessed the safety measures in place.
The Gondola operations had remained suspended since May 25, when a technical fault left more than 300 tourists stranded in various cabins, triggering a major rescue operation.
Personnel from the J&K Police, SDRF, and the Cable Car Corporation successfully evacuated all passengers safely. With all technical issues addressed and safety checks completed, the Gulmarg Gondola is now fully operational once again.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that the government prioritised safety over haste before restoring operations.
Speaking after reviewing the system, Abdullah told reporters here, "The interim report is in. The repair work was inspected, and procedures for service maintenance were certified. When they were satisfied, we decided to resume the Gondola services. The gearbox was replaced by Cable Car Corporation on the fourth or fifth day. Had we wanted to show haste, we would have resumed the Gondola services on the fifth day itself, but as a well-thought-out idea, we decided not to show haste," the Chief Minister said.
In June, the Jammu and Kashmir government constituted a five-member committee to conduct a comprehensive enquiry into the technical malfunction of the Gulmarg Gondola that occurred on May 25, which left over 300 tourists stranded mid-air for several hours.
According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, 286 people were safely evacuated in total, with 148 rescued from one side of the system and 138 from the other as operations continued in phases.
Officials said that out of 65 cable cars, 62 were affected, while three were not in operation at the time. Of these, 52 cabins were occupied, and 10 were empty.