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Tourism in Pahalgam, Kashmir, has plummeted after a terrorist attack, impacting local ponywallahs severely. With only 100 of 6,000 horses are working. The operators cumulatively face losses of Rs 2 crore a day.
Pahalgam:
The wheels of economy have come to a grinding halt in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, since 25 tourists and a local man were shot down by terrorists in the scenic Baisaran Valley. But those who live – the locals – are now facing a massive crisis. The brunt of this is borne by ponywallahs, one of whom was killed by the terrorists when he tried to save the rider of his horse.
Ever since the April 22 terror attack, tourists are cancelling bookings en masse. Of the 6.000 horses in Pahalgam, only 100 have work.
According to an estimate, the pony tour operators and pony handlers are cumulatively facing a loss of Rs 2 crore every day in Pahalgam, found the NDTV team that visited the area.
Rais, who is associated with one of the five local horse associations, said altogether, horse owners are facing a loss of Rs 2 crore every day.
In summer, the area sees lakhs of tourists a day, who visit the nearby valleys and other scenic spots on horseback. But after the attack, bookings in the area have practically been wiped out.
6,000 horses, only 100 have work!
Currently, there are about 6,000 horses in Pahalgam, of which only 1,900 have licenses.
For the last few years, the licensing process by the government has been slow, due to which new licenses have not been given. During the season, horse owners earn Rs 3,000 per horse, but at this time, of the 6,000 horses, only a hundred have work.
A horse costs Rs 1 lakh, food Rs 400 a day
The cost of a horse is around Rs 1 lakh and sometimes horses are bought on EMI. Generally, a horse can work from the age of five years to 18 years.
The minimum cost of food and water for a horse is Rs 400 per day. But as the age of the horse increases, the cost of its treatment increases. Sometimes this cost goes up to Rs 1,500 a day.
There are five horse operators’ associations in Pahalgam and each person is allowed to keep two horses.
Cost of Hiring Horses in Pahalgam
Horsemen charge Rs 1,300 to take tourists from Pahalgam to Baisaran Valley. The full package for visiting 4 locations in Pahalgam — Pahalgam, Baisaran Valley, Kashmir Valley, Dabyain, Deno Valley — is Rs 2,420 per person. The cost goes up if there are any detours. The charge for that is Rs 400 for each hour.
About 1 lakh local people work with horses as handlers and operators, and it is the only source of income for their families.
The tourist season is mainly in summer — but when Amarnath Yatra begins, pilgrims start coming. Over the last few years, a fair number of people also came in December and January to enjoy the snow.
