Gulmarg, Kashmir’s legendary ski resort and site of the world’s second-highest cable car—the Gondola ride—has gone quiet. On Thursday, authorities suspended Gondola operations and shut down the ski resort to tourists as a security measure, due to its proximity to the Line of Control (LoC).
The move is in the backdrop of heightened tensions in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the horrific April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians, comprising tourists and a pony handler, were brutally massacred. The TRF, a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy group, had issued a claim for the massacre in which victims were killed based on their religion. The brutality of the attack has shocked the Valley, wiping out the tourism sector.
The Gondola ride, a symbol of peace-time tourism in Kashmir, has experienced a significant dip in visitors. Cancellations have crossed 40,000 in a mere fortnight, causing calculated losses of ₹15 crore to the Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation.
As the Valley struggles to cope with heightened security threats and the fallouts of Operation Sindoor, the closure of Gulmarg is a grim reminder of how deeply terrorism hits at the economic and stability core of Kashmir.
