“No relief in sight as virus keeps targeting people, If this continues, we will die of starvation’, say tour operators
Ishtiyaq Ahmed
Srinagar, May 16(KINS): With no treatment in sight from the deadly pandemic Covid-19, the ailing tourism industry is crumbling fast in Kashmir.
Tour operators maintain that they will die of starvation if things don’t improve soon.
The tourism industry, which has been considered as the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, has been on crutches since the rollback of article 370 on August 5 last year with industry bearing the brunt of four month long lockdown and zero influx of tourists. As all hopes were on this year’s tourism season beginning March, Covid-19 pandemic, that has claimed 11 lives in J&K so far and affected almost 1000 people, played a spoilsport.
“We are on the verge of collapse. Tourists were our main source of livelihood. Many of us have switched over to other jobs and even some have sold their boats too to survive and to feed their families,” said one of the members of Kashmir Shikara Owners Association.
He said that the government recently announced Rs 350 Crore package for those affected due to Covid, but “we are being provided Rs 1000 a month, isn’t that a mockery in the name of package”. He said that Rs 1000 alone is spent on buying vegetable and single day grocery items for the family.
Muneer Ahmad a tour operator here in Srinagar said that there seems to be no hope as no country is able to come up with a vaccine to cure Covid. “This seems to be a long haul. If things don’t settle down early, we will die of starvation as there is no other way to survive,” he said.
Shafkat Hameed, who owns a hotel at Gulmarg tourist resort, said that things have never been so bad as they at present due to the Covid pandemic. “Honestly, I am not in a position to pay salary of my hotel staff. I have already laid off 60 per cent of the staff as there is zero tourist booking. First 370 roll back followed by a lockdown and government advisory asking tourists to flee Kashmir, and now Covid. We are crumbling and crumbling fast,” he said. He said that there are huge debts already the tour operators are facing. “There is hardly any one of us who doesn’t have loans etc from the banks. We are not even in a position to pay our Every Month Instalments (EMIs),” he rued.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) had last year come up with a detailed report stating that the Valley suffered Rs 17000 crore business losses with tourism, Horticulture and other sectors bearing the brunt of four month lockdown from August 5 to November 30 last year. The report had pointed out that some five lakh people had lost their jobs during the four months of shutdown.
This time around, there is a tentative estimate of Rs 7200 crore business losses since March 20 due to the lockdown triggered by Covid pandemic. “Our economy is in shambles and we are on the verse of collapse,” said an industrialist, wishing not to be named. He said that instead of announcing relief package as a breather, the Centre is announcing loan package which may seem as a relief initially but at the end of the day turns out to be a big burden. “After all loan is a loan,” he said.(KINS)
