Peak season over, tourism stakeholders not enthused
Mohammad Shafi, a shikara owner of Dal Lake, has been out of work for the last two months. Ever since the Centre revoked the special status for Jammu and Kashmir and asked tourists to curtail their visits to the state, he has not had much business. But the governor’s lifting of travel advisory has not cheered him and others associated with tourism.
“More than tourism, I am worried about my children now. The government broke our hearts when it unilaterally abrogated Article 370. Many others like him, who are associated with tourism, are agitated over the Centre’s move.
“The government asked tourists to leave in the middle of the season and now when everything is finished they ask them to come. I have decided to boycott tourists till the state’s special status is restored. They want to portray normalcy by saying tourists are coming,” said a houseboat owner, not wishing to be identified. “I am worried about my daughters. We have our own culture and identity here and when people from outside invade our land, how come we would be safe,” he said. Some 900 houseboat owners and 600-650 Shikara rowers earn their livelihood in summer from tourists and then feed their families for the rest of the year which faces extreme weather for at least five months. For the last two months, the shikaras have been moored to the shore with no tourists. Same is the case with more than 20 ghats lining the banks of the Lake alongside the road. “We come here so that we keep ourselves busy. Sometimes locals or guests make occasional trips into the lake,” says another Shikara owner, Mohammad Ramzan.
Abid Ahmad, the hotel manager, said the tourists fear coming to a place which is incommunicado. “There is shutdown outside. Thousands of uniformed men with weapons in their hands are dotting the roads. Tourists can’t get food and they can’t talk on their phones or even use internet, how can tourism revive in such a scenario,” Ahmad said.
Though restrictions have been eased in the Valley, mobile phones and internet services still are blocked while a spontaneous shutdown by people against the government’s move has continued as people fear that the revocation will lead to change of demography in the valley.
Kalyan Ghosh, a Calcutta resident, who had come here with his family on October 4, says, “We visited Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgma. This is my fifth visit here and this time, I have brought my parents and school-going daughter too. I had no fear as I know people here are good-mannered. But seeing the situation here, I feel bad.”