Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 22: The only profit making Corporation in the State, Jammu and Kashmir State Cable Car Corporation, is suffering lakhs of rupees losses daily due to the official apathy as the first phase of the prestigious Gulmarg Gandola is dysfunctional since May this year.
The first phase of the ropeway was closed on May 15 this year at the peak of the season when the daily income from two phases is Rs 24 lakh. The operation of the first phase was stopped for the replacement of the shaft.
Sources said that the engineers from Pomaglaski, the French Company, last year advised the officials of the Cable car to change the shaft, hub and lifts but they ignored their advice and even failed to order the shaft and other equipment. It was after the closure of the first phase that the order of the shaft was placed leading to huge losses of over Rs 10 crore for the State exchequer.
Managing Director, J&K Cable Car Corporation, Shamim Ahmad Wani told Excelsior: “An engineer who surveyed the Gandola in October last year told that there is a problem in the shaft and it needs to be replaced next year. At that time they advised us to put a ring on the shaft so that for time being it will work without any problem. This year in the month of May, the engineers came and started replacing the shaft and we immediately stopped the first phase of the Gandola”, Wani said.
“The engineer from France did not say last year to stop the Gandola. He said the shaft needs to be replaced next year and till then there is no problem in operating it”, he said.
The MD said: “The cable car was installed almost 28 years ago, the manufacturer had to recast the shaft and that is way it has taken so much time to procure it.”
Wani said that engineers are working on it and it will be ready by next week. “Engineers are doing their best to repair it and it is almost complete. They are monitoring the safety measures and one of the engineers from France is expected to come on Sunday who will give a final call about its opening. The second phase of the Gandola is open and it was not stopped at all”, he said.
“The shaft which was to be replaced weighs about 1700 kgs with 4 metres width and it was procured from France. It took us some time in procuring it from France that is why the opening of Gandola got delayed”, he said.
Due to dysfunctional phase-I of the Gandola which runs from Gulmarg to Kongdoori, the operators of the All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and pony wallas fleecing tourists. One of the Travel Agents said that ATVs are charging Rs 4000-4500 from Gulmarg to Kongdoori. Normally it takes half an hour by ATVs to cover the distance and officially the rate has been fixed at Rs 1200 per hour and 300 per 15 minutes.
In the same way the Pony wallas charge Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 per person for Kongdoori when the rate per hour is Rs 350.
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