Abdul Khaliq Qureshi Abbottabad
In a detrimental blow to tourism and local businesses, the closure of Asia’s renowned Ayubia Chair Lift in the picturesque Galiyat region has left traders and residents reeling from significant financial losses over the past four years. The once vibrant tourist spot now wears a deserted look, accentuating the toll on the national exchequer and the livelihoods of countless individuals.
The traders’ community in Galiyat has voiced their anguish over the prolonged closure, attributing it to a contentious dispute between the Forest Department and the Galiyat Development Authority (GDA). Initially installed in the early sixties, the aging chair lift was deemed unsafe by GDA technical staff after undergoing repairs by local contractors. Despite subsequent attempts to replace it with a new lift, bureaucratic hurdles and disagreements between the two departments have kept the iconic attraction out of operation.
The ramifications of the closure have been profound, with hundreds of thousands of small and large-scale traders, including hoteliers, restaurateurs, souvenir vendors, and transport operators, forced to shutter their businesses.
