A grand salute to Gulmarg Gandola rescuers! State Disaster Response Force, J&K Police, Indian Army, and J&K Cable Car Corporation not only rescued 320 tourists but also improved the standing of Kashmir as a safe and caring place. Post Pahalgam terror attack, the successful rescue operation has sent a positive message and struck the right chord. Our rescuers gave the entire Kashmir a perfect reason to rejoice. Braving heavy rain and sub-zero temperatures, the rescuers crawled on ropes to reach chair cars stuck at 4000 feet. What set this operation apart was that no one suffered any injury. Such operations have been conducted in different parts of the world. But every time there was some sort of collateral damage. This was the cleanest operation ever had in Kashmir. Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, GOC 19 Infantry Division Major General Manoj Joshi, Special DGP Javaid Mujtaba Gilani, Special DG and Commandant General Home Guards Abdul Ghani Mir, and IGP Kashmir VK Birdi deserve kudos for leading the operation and ensuring the safety of our guests. Post-Pahalgam, Kashmir tourism needed a lifeline. The Gulmarg operation has provided one. The tourism sector took a big hit post-Pahalgam attack. Twenty-six people, most of them tourists, were brutally gunned down in Baisaran Valley. Before April 22, 2025, the valley was bursting at the seams with tourists. Over 5.25 lakh tourists had visited the valley in the first three months of 2025. These include 5,14,845 domestic and 10,427 foreign tourists. Overall, 1.77 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2025. They included 36,000 foreigners, Vaishno Devi pilgrims, and Amarnath yatries. A record 2.35 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2024. Domestic tourist numbers shot up tenfold, from 25.19 lakh in 2020 to 2.35 crore in 2024. Official figures reveal that Kashmir hosted 10.68 lakh tourists in 2025. They include 10.47 lakh domestic and 21,361 foreign tourists. If April 22, 2025, reminds us of the horrors of terrorism, May 26 will go down in history as the most heroic day. Having said so, we need to rejig the safety apparatus of the Gulmarg Gandola. This is the most popular ropeway among the tourists. We need to enhance the security features. Such measures should be taken that May 26-like incidents do not recur. If the need arises, J&K Cable Car Corporation should invite foreign experts to look into the issue. The company that built the ropeway should also be approached for help. There is a need to create an emergency chaircar that runs parallel to the Gandola. This can cut time and help rescuers to quickly reach the spot during emergencies. Plus, a trained rescue team should be deployed 24×7 so that they can be mobilized during golden hour.
Gulmarg rescue
