‘Empty Shikaras, Deserted Hotels’: Business in Kashmir Post 370

Image of a house boat in Kashmir used for representational purposes

(Photo: iStock)

A huge padlock ‘greets’ people at the gates of Kashmir’s biggest fruit mandi at Parimpora. Outside the market, a few empty trucks with Punjab registration numbers, are parked with idle drivers and conductors, busy cooking meals on the roadside. Usually bustling with activity in the apple season, the fruit market now wears a deserted look.

The Parimpora fruit mandi symbolises present day Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories.

“We have no contact with our growers or dealers. Mostly Babgosha variety of pears was exported in the last one month. But the growers are unable to negotiate the rates with prospective buyers as there is no phone connectivity. We are suffering huge losses,” said Bashir Ahmad Basheer, Chairman, Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Association.

Horticulture Losses Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Kashmir’s fruit season starts in May when the first crop of cherry is harvested. It is followed by pears and other fruits which hit the market in the subsequent months. Apple is almost the last crop that hits the market in autumn. The bulk of the apples is exported to the markets in Delhi. Some of the crop is also sold in Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and other cities.

What is worrying the farmers is the escalating transportation costs and low rates for their produce.

Plus the harvest of the ‘delicious variety’ of apple starts from 10 September, and the communication blockade is already making things worse for the farmers, especially in terms of contacting dealers in Delhi and other states.

“Before the current situation unfolded, we had fixed Rs 27.40 as transportation charges for each fruit box from Srinagar to Delhi and Rs 65 per box from Srinagar to Mumbai. This time, however, the rates have gone through the roof with truckers charging Rs 80 per box from Srinagar to Delhi, and Rs 110 from Srinagar to Mumbai. Plus Babgosha boxes which were selling at Rs 700 to Rs 800 per box last year, is selling at Rs 150 to Rs 400 this year,” said Basheer.

Horticulture losses are just a tip of the iceberg in the overall business environment in Kashmir. From tourism to trade to transport, Kashmiri businessmen are staring at huge losses this year.

A Continuous Drop in Tourist Footfall

Fifty-three year old tour operator, Khan Fida, trembles in fear when he thinks about the business prospects. Fida, the Managing Director of Peace Holidays India, has suffered a loss of Rs 40 lakh, as most of the bookings have been cancelled.

“We had bookings lined up till February. We were looking forward to hosting four big corporate groups. One such group, consisting of 60 people, was supposed to arrive in September. Similarly, 35 package tours have been cancelled.  We are staring at loan defaults,” he said.

Prior to 2 August, when the government advisory was issued, more than 5.21 lakh tourists and 3.40 lakh pilgrims had visited Kashmir. More than 20,000 tourists left the Valley within 24 hours of the advisory.

In fact, Kashmir has been witnessing a persistent drop in tourist footfall over the last three years.

Figures reveal that 12, 745,96 tourists visited the Valley in 2016, which dropped to 11,960,67 in 2017. Last year, 7, 85,173 tourists visited the Valley.

“After the Pulwama attack, all the bookings from March to May were cancelled. Particularly, we lost in May which is usually a peak month from the business point of view. But from June, the tourist season had started picking up. We had made advance bookings up to December. Now everything is over,” said Fida.

Shikarawallahs Sell Vegetables To Get By

For the last three weeks, Kashmir has been a no-go area for the tourists.  There have been zero arrivals after the state government called off the Amarnath Yatra, and advised tourists and pilgrims to leave Kashmir, citing militant threats.

People associated with the tourism sector have suffered even bigger losses after the 5 August lockdown. Empty shikaras and deserted hotels, present a grim picture of the tourism sector. In fact shikarawallas have become vegetable sellers to eke out a living and sustain their families.

Trade bodies claim that each day of shutdown, curfew and restrictions cost Rs 100 crore to business in Kashmir. These include tourism, trade, handicrafts, transport, horticulture and other sectors.

On the streets of Srinagar, the markets open every day for three hours in the morning to allow people to buy essentials.

During the day, markets remain shut, apparently to protest against the abrogation of the special status.

Unlike 2016 or 2010 unrest, there is neither a call for shutdown nor a protest calendar. Still, the markets remain closed and traffic is off the roads.

Fallout of the Communication Blockade

“Restrictions have been lifted from areas falling under the jurisdiction of 81 police stations. Restrictions have been removed from many parts of Anantnag and Shopian districts of South Kashmir besides Srinagar and Sopore,” said Syed Sehrish Asgar, Director, Information and Public Relations, Jammu and Kashmir.

What has complicated the matter is the communication blockade. For the last three weeks, the Internet has been shut, and phones — both mobiles and landlines — have been snapped. Though some landlines have been made operational, there are large areas where communicating with dear ones is still a distant dream.

(Ishfaq-ul-Hassan is a Srinagar-based journalist, and has been reporting for the last 23 years. He has worked across newspapers and TV channels, and was most recently with DNA. Views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)