The Galiyat Development Authority stated on Friday that the operations of one of its major tourist attraction points — the Ayubia chairlifts — have been suspended for safety reasons.
However, the news will not bode well for the local small businesses, shops, food places, and cart pushers whose incomes depend on the tourists.
The press release issued by the spokesperson of the Galiyat Development Authority, Ahsan Hameed, highlighted that the chairlift service is unsafe and operating it is risky. He said that it was installed in 1965 but was declared to be ‘extremely dangerous’ by WPK International Cooperation in 2019.
Hameed added that the high inflow of tourists currently exceeds the capacity of the chairlifts.
He explained that the service has been halted as per the recommendations of Austria’s WPK firm, and will be resumed after the installation of new chairlifts.
The chairlift service is situated on the ridge of alpine forests and was constructed at Ghora Daka in the 1960s. It includes manually operated chairlifts comprised of 55 two-seater units and is a popular tourist attraction.
