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| 2000 youth lose jobs in hotel industry | | Kashmir Unrest | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Sept 24: An estimated 2000 people, mostly youth, have lost their jobs in the hospitality sector during the last 80 days of the valley unrest. Majority of them were working in hotels, guest houses and restaurants in Srinagar, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Gulmarg areas of Kashmir.
Details available with Early Times reveal that tourist arrivals to Kashmir valley have witnessed a very sharp decline from July 8 onwards due to complete shutdown and curfew. The hotel industry has been the biggest victim of the unrest.
According to official sources , several film crews who had planned their shooting in Kashmir during summers had to change their plans in view of the prevailing situation in the valley.
As per the data provided by Tourism Department, around 3 lakh tourists had visited Kashmir between July and September last year, there is now quite little tourist footfall in the valley for the corresponding period of the current year. Not even 1000 tourists have visited Kashmir for the last 80 days, sources said. The tourist destinations and hotels both in private and government sector have been worst affected and most of the hotels are left with zero occupancy.
Managing Director, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation, had earlier told reporters that most of the corporation's properties in Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg, Yousmarg and other destinations "have 1-2 per cent occupancy which ought to have been 90-100 per cent around this time of the year."
Similarly, accommodations of Tourism Department and Tourism Development Authorities have also witnessed a shortfall of 90-95 pc as compared to last year. Same is the case with private hotels and guest houses.
Not only the tourist arrivals, most of the major infrastructure projects which were to be taken up in Kashmir under Prime Minister's Development Plan (PMDP), have also come to a halt.
According to the government estimates, Rs 400 cr were available with the tourism department under PMDP for infrastructure development at new and existing destinations. "Under this programme, the department has formulated projects for infrastructure development at Daksum, Doodhpathri, Kokernag, Verinag, Pahalgam and Salamabad (Uri). The work on these projects has been stopped due to unrest in the valley," sources said.
According to preliminary estimates, the tourism sector alone has suffered a loss of around Rs 3000 cr due to the unrest and the people associated with tourism trade apprehend that the prevailing situation could adversely affect the tourist arrivals during the next year as well with disastrous implications for the local economy.
As per reliable sources, 70 pc of the employees in hotel industry have been shown the door and this has caused serious concern among these unemployed youth. |
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