Three months on, J&K yet to make public report on Gulmarg Gondola malfunction probe

Gulmarg, Sep 16: More than three months after the Jammu and Kashmir Government ordered a high-level inquiry into the technical malfunction of the Gulmarg Gondola that left hundreds of tourists stranded in mid-air, the findings of the probe have not been made public.
The government constituted a five-member committee through Government Order No. 1065-JK(GAD) of 2026 dated June 10, assigning it a 10-day deadline to submit its report to the Tourism Department.
The committee was headed by Managing Director of the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited Mahmood Ahmad Shah and included Director Tourism Jammu Vikas Gupta, Gulmarg Development Authority Chief Executive Officer Tariq Hussain, Superintending Engineer Javeed Ahmad Tantray and Executive Engineer Mohammad Ismail Chechi.
The inquiry was ordered after the May 25 malfunction of the Gondola system left more than 300 tourists stranded in cable-car cabins and triggered a large-scale rescue operation involving security and disaster-response personnel.
The terms of reference of the committee went beyond identifying the immediate technical fault. It was directed to establish the complete sequence of events, examine mechanical, electrical, electronic, braking, communication, control and safety systems, scrutinize operational logs and maintenance records, and review the standard operating procedures and inspection mechanisms governing the Gondola.
The panel as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust was also tasked with determining whether any operational lapse, negligence or administrative shortcoming contributed to the incident and recommending corrective measures and long-term strategies for safe operation.
The 10-day deadline prescribed in the June 10 order has long passed. However, a search of the publicly available J&K Government, General Administration Department and Tourism Department records did not locate the committee’s final report or a government order making its findings public.
The Gondola service was subsequently reopened after remaining suspended for nearly a month following the incident.
The cable-car system has since continued its operations, including a scheduled annual inspection and maintenance closure from September 14 to 17 this month.
The absence of a publicly available inquiry report raises questions about whether the committee completed its work within the prescribed period, whether its report was submitted but has not been made public, or whether the inquiry remains pending.
The government order does not provide for a public release deadline beyond directing the committee to submit its findings and recommendations to the Tourism Department.
The May incident had raised questions over the safety and maintenance of one of Kashmir’s major tourist attractions. The government’s own inquiry order had specifically required examination of maintenance records, safety systems and compliance with operational procedures.
The Tourism Department and Gulmarg Development Authority have not, in the material reviewed, publicly disclosed the status of the committee’s report or explained the delay beyond the original 10-day timeline. [KNT]