Crowd of tourists in Gulmarg, people call themselves ski instructors to earn money.
Razia Noor, Srinagar. If you want to enjoy skiing on the snowy slopes of Gulmarg, a world famous tourist destination situated in the lap of the Himalayan Mountains at an altitude of about 8,690 meters above sea level, then be careful, choose only registered trained skiers for skiing, otherwise you may face problems.
Because according to the information, dozens of unregistered and untrained skiers at the said tourist spot, posing as trained and registered skiers, make the tourists go skiing on the steep snowy slopes, which can prove fatal at any time. However, officials say that only a limited number of certified instructors are available at the said tourist spot and they are allowed to provide training to people interested in skiing.
Let us tell you that after the recent snowfall, Gulmarg tourist destination, famous for its world class skiing slopes, has seen an unprecedented rush of tourists. Thousands of tourists are flocking to this famous tourist destination every day to enjoy the snowy slopes and adventure sports and in order to earn money, dozens of people, posing as skiers, make the tourists go skiing on the snowy slopes.
There is complete chaos in Gulmarg.
Despite the limited number of certified tourist instructors, dozens of people calling themselves ski instructors can be seen walking around to tourists, especially beginners, offering their services without any training or certification. Sanjeev Mehrotra, a tourist who had come to Gulmarg to experience skiing, said, there is complete chaos here.
Mehrotra said that he had come here for the thrill of skiing and upon his arrival, the hotel management provided him with a skiing instructor who was not registered with the department. It's important to have the services of a certified skiing instructor, Merotra said. Not everyone can become a skiing instructor. Most of the skiing instructors here are either sled operators or from some other profession.
Tourists often fall into their trap
Another tourist named Rohan Agnihotri said, tourists, especially first-time skiers, often fall prey to these untrained persons roaming around who aggressively try to woo customers near the ski slopes and Gondola stations. Rohan said, this happened with me too.
I found a guy here who introduced himself as Scare Master. I was going to go with him to Kangdori. But while skiing on a few slopes, I realized that this guy was not an expert. I refused him. Skiing training is a technical sport that requires proper training, Rohan said, and taking training from an unqualified instructor can lead to serious injuries, accidents and even life-threatening situations.
Another tourist named Vivek said, it is better to contact the concerned department for skiing here. This will ensure that we can avail the services of qualified trainers. This is a safe path. Otherwise it may lead to fatal consequences.
Why did the officials fail to streamline the system?
A certified skiing instructor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the lack of rules raised serious questions about accountability. The instructor asked, if only a limited number of instructors are officially registered, then how are so many others being allowed to act arbitrarily? Who gives them permission, and why have the concerned authorities failed to streamline the system?.
All the hotels and guesthouses in Gulmarg are running at full capacity, while the Gulmarg Gondola has long queues of tourists eagerly heading to the upper reaches for skiing and snow-related activities. However, according to the Tourism Department, the number of trained and registered skiers in Gulmarg is limited.
About 20 skiers registered in tourism department
Confirming this, Tahir Wani, Assistant Director, Tourism Department, Gulmarg said, “We have about 20 skiers registered in the tourism department who are providing their services to the people who want to learn skiing or go for a joyride here and are streamlining the arrangements.”
He said, we allow only certified skiing instructors to take skiing to the interested people and for that the people interested in skiing have to complete some formalities. When asked whether dozens of untrained and unregistered people are active in Gulmarg and provide skiing to the tourists coming there, Wani said, we are not aware of this nor have we received any complaint in this regard yet.
He said that if any uncertified skiing instructor is found working in Gulmarg, necessary action will be taken against him. He also urged the tourists not to play with their lives and choose only trained and registered skiers for skiing and enjoy skiing safely.
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