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| February 6, 2010 | Militancy, shutdown hit tourism in Kashmir Valley | | Srinagar: The ongoing violence and imposition of curfew in the Kashmir Valley has completely paralysed life. Tourism is one of the worst hit sectors. At present,
tourist hubs like the Dal Lake are completely deserted. It has affected houseboat
and shikara (wooden boat) owners. "Violent attacks and disturbances in the Kashmir
Valley become worldwide news very quickly, thus affecting the tourism greatly.
People are being killed; there are incidents of stone pelting on the roads every
now and then, so who will want to come here? questions Reyaz Ahmad, a houseboat
owner. If somebody is spending money then they don't want to see bullets, stones
or army. Even the government can't do much in this case," he added. State authorities
were expecting a huge influx of visitors this season due to the heavy snowfall
in Gulmarg, but unrest in the valley has stopped foreign tourists from travelling
to the region. "It's a shame because it does make the tourists probably feel a
little uncomfortable. But up here in Gulmarg the situation is a bit better than
Srinagar. So it is better if tourists travel directly to Gulmarg," said James
Pove, a tourist from New Zealand. "But this atmosphere makes the whole thing more
edgier and obviously not attractive for tourists. We want harmony and peace in
Srinagar because it is a beautiful place," Pove added.
The shutdown in parts of Valley entered its
sixth consecutive day on Saturday following the killing of Wanik Farooq, a teenager,
in a teargas shelling incident. On Friday, another teenager Zahid Farooq died
when security forces opened fire on a mob during a protest near the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) Inspector General's office in the Kralsangri-Brain Nishat
area. All shops, business establishments and government offices remained closed,
and the traffic stayed off the roads. Authorities have imposed a curfew in five
police station areas of Srinagar to thwart protests. "Today is the sixth day of
this shutdown. I am facing quite a lot of hardships as my college is closed and
I couldn't even fill my form. All the shops are closed. Because of the curfew,
no movement of traffic is allowed," said Irfan Ahmad, local resident. Meanwhile,
over 70 leaders have been taken into preventive custody.
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