Well planned rescue ops brings relief for tourists, govt
Srinagar: For the tourists who had come to enjoy the serenity at Gulmarg, tense moments and scare is all that they experienced. However, the meticulous rescue operation ensured that the tourists landed safely on ground with no injuries.
Notably, 65 cabins of Gulmarg Gondola were stranded mid-air on Monday after the Asia’s highest ropeway developed technical problems, and were rescued after an arduous seven-hour operation.
No casualties were reported in the incident, officials said.
The major multi-agency rescue operation, which also involved the army, was launched soon after the system malfunctioned around noon. The officials said that evacuation from some cabins took longer as these were hovering at a height of nearly 500 ft above ground. Heavy rains in the area also hampered efforts.
“The rescue operation has concluded and all the stranded persons have been evacuated safely,” an official said this evening.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the disaster response teams for safely rescuing around 300 tourists stranded mid-air after a technical snag halted the Gulmarg Gondola in north Kashmir.
In a statement, Shah applauded the efforts of the SDRF, NDRF, Army, local police and civil administration, who carried out a six-hour-long rescue operation and evacuated all passengers stranded in 65 cable cars.
“Applause to India’s disaster response forces for safely rescuing 300 tourists stranded mid-air in cable cars in Gulmarg, Kashmir. The nation salutes the forces for their valour and skill,” Shah said.
Earlier, Lt Guv Manoj Sinha also took to ‘X’ saying that he is closely monitoring the situation.
“A joint rescue operation is currently underway in Gulmarg to ensure the safe evacuation of tourists stranded in cable car cabins following a technical malfunction earlier today,” he wrote.
The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is personally monitoring the situation, officials said.
He spoke to the Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo and has directed the Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat to proceed to the site to oversee the rescue mission.
In a post on X, the Lieutenant Governor said: “I’m monitoring the rescue operation for tourists stranded in cable car cabins following a technical fault in Gulmarg. I have directed DGP to proceed to the site. Joint rescue team of Police, Army & SDRF & DC, SSP is conducting the operation to ensure the safety of all tourists”.
Later, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government was “closely monitoring” the situation.
“All cabins are intact and rescue operations to safely evacuate stranded tourists are underway with trained teams on the ground. The situation is completely under control and there is no cause for panic,” the chief minister said in a post on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary visited Gulmarg to assess the rescue operations launched after a technical snag disrupted the functioning of the Gondola service, officials said.
Despite difficult terrain and slippery conditions caused by continuous movement along steep slopes, the Deputy Chief Minister personally visited the rescue sites and appreciated the dedication and professionalism displayed by the rescue teams under the challenging circumstances.
During the visit, the Deputy Chief Minister reviewed the on-ground situation and inspected the Gondola base station, cabins and related infrastructure. He directed the concerned authorities to ensure that all necessary safety protocols are strictly adhered to and stressed the need for early restoration of services for the convenience of tourists and locals.
Interacting with the tourists and officials on the spot, the Deputy Chief Minister lauded the coordinated efforts of the Civil Administration, Police, Army, Disaster Response Force (DRF), local guides and other agencies involved in the rescue operation.
“On the directions of the Chief Minister, I personally supervised the ongoing rescue operation and I am happy to say that all the stranded tourists have been rescued safely,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the prompt response and close coordination among all agencies ensured the safe evacuation of every passenger. He reiterated that the safety and well-being of tourists remains the government’s top priority. “Tourists are our valued guests and every possible effort was made to ensure their safe rescue. I am thankful that all the passengers are safe and the rescue operation has concluded successfully,” he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister further assured that a detailed report regarding the incident would be submitted to the Chief Minister, following which appropriate measures would be taken to ascertain the cause of the technical snag and prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.
Senior officers from Civil, police and army were also present.
Soon after the rescue operation ended, DGP Police, Nalin Prabhat said that all tourists stranded due to a technical snag in the Gulmarg Gondola were safely evacuated following a multi-agency rescue operation involving the Jammu and Kashmir Police, SDRF, Army and NDRF.
He said the snag occurred around 1:20 PM, leaving cable car cabins suspended mid-air with tourists onboard.
“The first responder was SHO Gulmarg, who reached the spot immediately with his SOG. After that, we mobilised 14 SDRF teams. Later, another team was added, taking the total to 15 SDRF teams,” the DGP told reporters after the operation.
He said eight mountain rescue teams and nine ‘snow leopard’ units were also deployed. “A large number of J&K Police personnel, along with SDRF, Indian Army and NDRF, took part in the rescue operation,” Prabhat added.
Despite rainy weather, officials said all stranded tourists were successfully brought down. “Around 45 people who were not physically fit were evacuated on stretchers. Nearly 320 people were brought down. The ATV bikes were also brought down,” the DGP said.
