Pahalgam:
Pahalgam’s taxi stand, where there is usually no space to stand in the months of June and July due to tourist crowd – now stands empty. Forty-five days after the terror attack at Baisaran Valley in which 26 people were killed, footfall has dwindled to almost nothing. The fallout is that income has dried up for the hundreds of locals – cab operators, drivers guides and ponywallahs. Many cab operators are now getting ready to sell their cabs because they cannot pay the monthly installments.
Since April 22, very few people have come to Pahalgam.
Nazir Ahmed, who has been driving cabs for the last four decades, said: “The taxi stand where around 500 vehicles used to be — and more than 1,200 people – is completely deserted. Now we are waiting for the Amarnath Yatra.”
“We are losing lakhs of rupees every day,” he added, alleging that they had received no support from the government. “It is difficult for us to pay for our children’s education and even to buy food,” he said.
At a recent cabinet meeting, it was decided that open areas and parks will be opened in Chandanwadi and surrounding areas, which would draw in tourists, but nothing has happened so far,
“For now, we are facing a lot of problems and are not even able to cover the expenses of the vehicles,” he added.
The locals are aghast that Pahalgam, which was peaceful even when the whole of Kashmir was under the shadow of terror, is now suffering because of terrorism.
Registration for Amarnath Yatra will start, this time it is possible that lakhs of people will come but if they come then at least our livelihood will be a little better.
“We used to earn Rs 3000 a day but now imagine the situation that we are not able to pay EMI (for the cabs they purchased). We are saying that the government should take away the vehicles. We have nothing left,” he said.
Ghulam Nabi, president of Pahalgam Taxi Association for the last three decades, said, “We have kept the vehicles ready so that when Amarnath Yatra begins and continues for at least one month, we will get money”.
