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| Violence in Kashmir may affect pilgrim traffic to Mata Vaishno Devi | | | ET Plus Report
Jammu, Mar 17: With a group of tourists making it to Sonamarg for the first time after the snow bound road was thrown open today people connected with tourist traffic to Kashmir valley have started nursing hopes for another bumper tourist season.
Just till two days back all hoteliers, houseboat owners, traders and transporters had started harbouring fears of a major slump in the tourist traffic in the wake of violence and street protests, shutdowns and curfew restrictions. And their fears had come true when nearly 30 per cent reservations had been cancelled by tourists who had planned to spend some summer weeks in the valley's tourist resorts.
However, gradual improvement in the situation motivating the Government to lift curfew restrictions from major areas of the state which enabled traders to open their business establishments and transporters to ply their passenger vehicles on various city and town routes seem to have given added confidence to those connected with tourist traffic. The way a group of tourists trekked on road to reach Sonamarg added to Kashmiris confidence and they hope that from next month onwards the valley will have bumper tourist traffic.
In fact it was a life time experience for a group of tourists who were the first to travel through big snow walls on both sides of the road to reach Sonamarg a famed tourist destination which reopened after remaining closed since December last year due to heavy snowfall. Sonamarg, about 85 km from on Srinagar-Leh national highway, which remained closed due to ten to 15 feet of snow accumulated at Zojila and other places, hit the international headlines in 80s when 'Heli Skiing' was first introduced.
Police authorities say that the situation remained under control and a number of associations connected with tour and travels, besides hotels and traders have appealed to the separatists to intervene and ensure peace in Kashmir.
Leaders of trade and commerce Jammu too have pleaded for peace because disturbed Kashmir may cast some shadow on the pilgrim traffic to Mata Vaishno Devi. They said since part of the pilgrims to Vaishno Devi do visit tourist resorts in Kashmir any decline in pilgrim traffic could prove a major loss for traders, transporters and hoteliers in Kashmir.
In the meantime the police authorities have revealed that with additional deployment of riot police in various sensitive areas of the Kashmir valley inst ructions have gone to the security forces to arrest all those who try to incite people to violence. |
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