On October 10, the Jammu and Kashmir government lifted the advisory that had earlier asked tourists to stay out of Kashmir. Kashmir is now thrown open for tourists with local people desperately waiting for the visitors. There are 965 houseboats in Dal Lake which have been vacant since August 5. There are scores of people who are solely dependent on income from tourism. Now they borrow money from friends and relatives for survival.
Normalcy is somewhat back in Kashmir. Roads look busy with people and vehicles but shops in many areas remain shut after 10 am.
Some markets stay open the whole day under police protection. Small-time fruits and vegetable hawkers throng the market. Some tourist spots are not fully open due to poor footfall.
“In the absence of the internet, it is impossible to assure tourists and travel agents that Kashmir is safe for outsiders. We lost touch with travel agents in other states who used to send tourists here”, says houseboat owner Gulam Rasool.
Internet kiosks have been opened at many tourist locations but foreign tourists complain of not being able to access email because the one-time password to open the account comes on the phone and the SMS service is not functional at the moment. They, therefore, are unable to email their loved ones.
Lisa Martin, a tourist from Ireland, says, “we are here to support the tourism and the local people. This place is beautiful that everyone should come and see. Local people are very supportive in every way. The only problem is I am disconnected from my family. I can't tell them I am fine. Some places remain shut even now. I would like to visit again to see the places now shut."
Another tourist Mamuni Pradhan from Kolkata says she was astonished to see the beauty of Kashmir and hospitality of Kashmiris.
On being asked if she supported the government’s decision of abrogation of Article 370, she said, “yes, Kashmir is part of India and it should have same Constitution and rules as other states."
Gulam Rasool, a houseboat owner shares his plight after the government issued advisory on August 2 asking tourists to stay away from the region.
"With almost zero income and unending expenses such as electricity bills, maintenance of houseboats, school fees for children etc., many men are avoiding to even shave to save money," Gulam says, laughing.
The economy came to a standstill in the last two months as it majorly depended upon tourism and horticulture, and that generated zero income.
“The economy of Kashmir valley has always been in bad shape. There have always been untoward incidents happening here, sometimes it is flood, sometimes other disruptions. The valley remained closed for months altogether. Our economy was never bustling. But abrogation of Article 370 was the last straw. Despite Kashmir being so beautiful, it could never earn as much other states did. The tourist volume in 1985-86 was 10-11 lakh and the number in 2017-18 is still the same," says a Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries official on condition of anonymity.
The exact amount of loss to apple farmers and tourism industry will only be known later.
According to Hamid Wangoo, Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association president, the shutdown of the valley resulted in a loss of Rs 200 crores to houseboat owners and Rs 75 crores to 'shikarawalas' (houseboat owners).
Likewise, apples are rotting in the orchids due to zero phone connectivity and consequently no transportation.
Gulam Mohammad collects plucked apples at his orchard
“God knows how we are managing our day-to-day expenses. We finished all the money we had, now we borrow from friends and relatives, but for how long will we depend on them. We have not been able to contact dealers to buy our apples. The politicians have done nothing for us and will do nothing in future. We only have hopes from God”, says Gulam Mohammad who owns an apple orchid.
Speaking of tourism, there are two categories of people in Kashmir: one, those who want more and more tourists to come so that they earn money. That is how they earn their livelihood and feed their families. They are friendly and welcoming to tourists, no matter where they are coming from. Two, big traders and shop owners who can afford to keep their shops shuttered and continue protesting. They do not want to see non-Kashmiris in the valley.
The local people continue to hate media, specifically Indian media. With the belief that we are biased media, we were not allowed to shoot in many places by the local people.
All our attempts to interview government officials on camera failed. One official, instead of refusing, outrightly blocked my phone number. Should that make me laugh or feel embarrassed? Don't know.
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