| Bitter Winter chill: Tourists' agony, locals' gain! | | | Mustansir
Srinagar, Nov26 : The onset of the winter season has brought with itself a chilly wave proving quite discomforting, especially for the tourists; however, the same has proved highly profiteering for local hawkers. The severe cold has caught tourists unaware and they are buying more and more woolens from local hawkers. Determined to take full advantage, hawkers have set their stalls on the preferred tourist sites. There are atleast 40 hawkers who have been selling the woolen garments for more than 40 years. Every morning, they open their stalls on their bicycles with attractive and colourful garments on the banks of the famous Dal Lake. "We are selling all warm garments like sweaters, gloves, shawls here. We assemble here in the morning for the tourists who come. We want more and more tourists to come here as it will help us increase in our income," said hawker Mushtaq Ahmad. The garments on sale include shawls, sweaters, leather jackets, gloves, fur coats and round fur caps. The hawkers here wish that more tourists rush to the Kashmir valley for sightseeing as it will help them earn more income. "It is so cold here. I did not expect it to be so cold. I had heard that it would not be so cold here, that's why I came at this time. It has suddenly become cold. That's why we are buying so many woolen garments," said Sanjay Kumar, a tourist from Kolkata. |
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