Gulmarg Cable Car Scare: J&K Orders Urgent Inquiry After 300 Stranded

Srinagar, Jun 10 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday formed a five-member committee to inquire into circumstances that led to the malfunctioning of Gulmarg cable car services last month. The General Administration Department (GAD) appointed the Managing Director of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited, Mahmood Shah, as chairman of the committee, which has been asked to submit a report within 10 days. On May 25, the Gulmarg cable car services, popularly known as Gondola rides, developed a technical snag that left more than 300 tourists stranded mid-air. The stranded tourists and local guides were evacuated after a massive rescue operation launched by the Army, Police, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force. According to the GAD order, the committee has been asked to ascertain and establish the complete sequence of events that led to the technical snag. It has been asked to examine all relevant facts, records, and operational details necessary to arrive at a clear understanding of the incident. The committee will conduct a detailed technical examination of the cable car system and investigate the nature, cause and extent of its failure. It will review the existing operational procedures, maintenance protocols, inspection mechanisms, and safety procedures governing the functioning of the cable car system and assess whether they were adhered to at the time of the incident. It will also examine whether any operational lapse or negligence contributed directly or indirectly to the incident. The committee has been mandated to identify responsibility for any act of negligence, procedural violation or failure on part of any individual or agency associated with the functioning of the cable cars. It shall "recommend immediate corrective measures required for ensuring safe operation and restoration of the cable car system, as well as long-term technical, operational, administrative, and safety-related measures necessary to prevent recurrence of similar incidents in future". (Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)