news details |
|
|
| Tourist season likely to take beating in Kashmir | | | ET Plus report
Jammu, Mar 10: The tourist season, which generated about Rs 1000 crores for the Kashmir economy in the last season, is likely to take beating. Disturbing signs and signals have started coming pointing to this apprehension. A group of tourists who had come from Kolkata had a narrow escape when their cab was attacked by stone pelters in Bijbehara about three-days back, when protests were continuing in the valley.
The cab had number plate of Jammu and this was enough to provoke stone pelters. "We had come to perform darshan of Vaishno Devi and then decided to go to Srinagar. But now we have decided never to come back," told Shri Kumar Chakarboti to a local media.
This is the apprehension which is most worrying for the State. It is for this reason that in a meeting between Army and Police, the DGP had talked about devising a strategy that peace prevails and tourism is not affected. The valley is seething with frustration, if not violent anger, because of continuous imposition of curfew. Curfew should be an exception and not norm. Making it a first and only measure to curb violence makes it a routine measure, and this takes out the sheen of sanctity the word 'curfew' is reflected for.
Allowing people to come on streets, may be in limited number, will allow them to pent up their anger and it helps in cooling down the tempers. But if the tempers are not allowed to spill out, and allowed
to be stored then it is bound to take violent form and that will be more worrying as it will come out just days before the start of tourist season.
A lean tourist season coupled with curtailment of democratic right will form heady cocktail and this could be dangerous not only for the peace and economy but for the Omar Abdullah led government who has been saying that he is not mad when he calls for revocation of AFSPA. This time the question is not AFSPA by measures in handling situation and here he (Omar ) is proving out to be political novice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
