India on Saturday officially opened the world's highest gondola ski lift in occupied Kashmir. The ropeway stretching 2.5 kilometers (one and a half miles) connects the bowl-shaped Kongdoori valley with the 4,390-meter, snow-covered Afarwat peak at India's premier ski resort, Gulmarg, in northern occupied Kashmir. Bad weather had delayed the completion of the lift several times in the past two years. But on Saturday it was finally thrown open by occupied Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.
"It will usher in a new era of international tourism in occupied Kashmir," Sayeed said. "It is with great pride I declare the project open."
Farooq Ahmed Shah, head of the Cable Car Corporation, one of the occupied Kashmir government's few profit-making enterprises, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks to Allah the lift has been completed. It is working," Shah told AFP.
"It is the world's highest cable car using gondolas and the only one in the world that takes skiers to a height of 4,390 meters," he added. He believes the facility will draw skiers as well as trekkers and adventurers to the picturesque state.
"The new lift will definitely attract more skiers and adventure tourists to explore high peaks around Afarwat," said Shah.
But tourist arrivals have picked up amid peace moves between Pakistan and India, with more than 370,000 tourists visiting occupied Kashmir in 2004.
Officials say more than 150,000 tourists have already visited occupied Kashmir this year. "Skiing down the Afarwat peak will be any skier's dream," said Shabir Ahmed, the region's leading ski instructor.
"I have visited Japan, Iran and other parts of the world. I can tell you with authority Afarwat is one of the best slopes for adventure skiers."
Until now skiers on Afarwat, which has skiable slopes from January until the end of April, had to be dropped by helicopter - an expensive option.
The area in February hosted an international cross-country ski event, which officials said was aimed at sending the message that the region could hold top ski competitions. The ropeway was built by French company Pomagalski, which also constructed the only other cable car in occupied Kashmir - connecting Gulmarg ski resort to Kongdoori at a height of 3,930 meters.
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