Srinagar, Sep 9: The Jammu and Kashmir government is planning an iconic high-altitude revolving restaurant at Gulmarg’s Apharwat Top Station, inspired by a famous revolving restaurant in Saas-Fee, a mountain resort in Switzerland’s Swiss Alps.
Saas-Fee is a mountain tourism town in Switzerland, surrounded by snow-covered peaks.
At the nearby Mittelallalin mountain station, about 11,500 feet above sea level, is the Revolving Restaurant Allalin, where the dining area slowly turns 360 degrees, giving visitors changing views of the mountains while they eat.
The J&K Cable Car Corporation Limited (JKCCC) cited this concept in its tender to develop a new revolving restaurant at Apharwat.
The corporation has invited consultants to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR), architectural and engineering designs and tender documents for the proposed “Iconic High-Altitude Revolving Restaurant”.
According to the Saas-Fee tourism authority, the Revolving Restaurant Allalin at Mittelallalin completes one full rotation in an hour and has around 200 indoor seats. Visitors can enjoy views of the surrounding Swiss Alps from different directions without moving from their tables.
The Gulmarg project is based on the same broad idea of combining dining with panoramic mountain views.
However, JKCCC’s tender says the proposed facility should have its own identity for Gulmarg and must be designed according to local climatic, seismic and operational conditions.
The proposal is planned at Apharwat Top Station, where JKCCC says an existing foundation structure has remained unutilised for several years.
The corporation wants the consultant to determine whether the structure can be safely used for the proposed facility.
Before it can be reused, the structure will undergo a detailed structural audit, non-destructive testing, material testing and assessment of its remaining strength.
The consultant will then recommend whether it can be reused as it is, needs strengthening or retrofitting, or requires reconstruction.
The difficult mountain conditions at Apharwat are a major part of the project planning.
The consultant will have to assess the impact of heavy snow, strong winds, earthquakes and extreme temperature changes.
Detailed topographical, geotechnical and sub-soil studies will also be carried out to determine whether the site can support a large revolving structure.
The planned facility will be more than a restaurant.
The design brief includes panoramic seating and dining areas, visitor circulation, toilets, changing facilities, cloakrooms and visitor information facilities.
Accessibility for persons with disabilities is also part of the requirements.
The building will require specialised systems because of the severe cold at Apharwat. JKCCC has asked for passive-heating measures, suitable solar orientation, an insulated building envelope and energy-efficient systems.
Electrical, heating and ventilation, plumbing, firefighting, drainage, sewerage and water-supply systems will also form part of the engineering design.
Environmental considerations have also been included in the project.
The consultant will assess the possible impact on Gulmarg’s alpine ecosystem, visual landscape and cultural heritage.
Water requirements and the feasibility of renewable-energy systems, including solar power, will also be examined.
The government has not yet fixed the final construction cost of the proposed restaurant.
The consultant will prepare estimates covering the building, engineering systems, specialised revolving equipment, fit-out and external works.
It will also assess operating and maintenance costs, possible revenue from the restaurant and related tourism activities, and the project’s financial and economic viability.
The consultant will be selected through Quality and Cost Based Selection, with 70 percent weightage for technical capability and 30 percent for the financial proposal. Only bidders scoring at least 60 marks out of 100 in the technical evaluation will qualify for financial evaluation.
The consultancy is expected to be completed within 45 days of the Letter of Award.
During this period, the selected consultant will conduct the structural and site studies and prepare the architectural concept, DPR, engineering drawings, cost estimates and tender documents.
The project comes months after a revolving restaurant-cum-multipurpose facility was inaugurated at Apharwat in December 2025. The new tender does not describe itself as a re-tender and does not state that the earlier facility will be replaced or discontinued. Instead, it seeks a fresh DPR and design for an “iconic” high-altitude revolving restaurant and refers to an older foundation structure at the site.
The Swiss model offers a simple tourism idea: take visitors to a high mountain, give them a meal and allow them to enjoy changing views of the surrounding peaks as the restaurant slowly rotates.
JKCCC now wants to adapt that idea for Apharwat, combining panoramic dining with a structure capable of operating in Kashmir’s heavy snow, strong winds, seismic conditions and extreme cold.
The project will first have to pass through the DPR, structural, environmental and financial assessment stages before construction begins.
