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| Turbulent political situation may disturb tourist season in Kashmir | | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 24: Kashmir based tourism players are keeping their fingers crossed with regard to the upcoming tourist season as there are apprehensions that the summer may witness ‘agitation’ from separatist leaders on frequent basis.
In the last week of March the tourism players were all fire against some of the news channels blaming them for creating a flood like situation in Kashmir. Such was the gravity of the situation that Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I) held a press conference earlier this month in order to clear the air regarding the flood like situation in Kashmir.
The dust had just settled down a new controversy erupted in Kashmir. As the Narendra Modi led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the centre announced that Kashmiri Pandits would be settled in dedicated colonies in Kashmir, there was condemnation from all the quarters. Politicians belonging to both the mainstream and separatist camps took a dig at the proposal with the separatists ‘vowing’ to carry out agitation against the move.
At a time when the issue of separate townships was talk of the town, raising of pro-Pakistan and pro-Hafiz Saeed slogans during a rally to welcome Hurriyat hardliner, Syed Ali Shah Geelani caught the attention of the people. The slogans virtually forced the state government to act tough against the separatist leadership.
The fall out of this was Muslim League Chairman and senior leader of Geelani faction of Hurriyat Conference, Masarat Alam Bhat was arrested by the police on Friday last. Today he was shifted to the Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu and immediately Geelani asked people to observe strike on Saturday and hold protests after Friday prayers.
For the tourist season to be successful it is important that the law & order situation is normal. Strikes, protests and stone pelting incidents are going to affect the prospects of a good tourist season in the Kashmir valley. There are chances that Masarat Alam’s arrest may lead to a setback to the tourist season and that does not augur well for the future of state more so the Kashmir valley.
The tourism players have already maintained that scores of bookings for the month of April were cancelled due to the ‘negative’ reportage of some media houses with respect to flood like situation in the last week of March. Latest reports indicate that some of the bookings of the May have also been cancelled by the tourists owing to the recent spate of activities relating to separatism.
If there is no end to the separatist activities for the time being there are chances that the tourist season would be affected to a great extent. This would mean that people associated with different trades attached with the tourism sector would suffer great losses and it would be difficult for them to cope up with the losses. |
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