Insha Mushtaq/ Umar Farooq
The Covid-19 pandemic did not only offer unprecedented challenges to human health but has challenged workplaces as well. The economic challenges put forward by the pandemic have been devastating as a lot of people are unemployed since the pandemic broke. In Kashmir, back to back lockdowns have broken the back of the economy in the Union territory.
Compared to other parts of India, Kashmir has faced a prolonged lockdown back from August 2019 when Kashmir was stripped of its partial autonomy (revocation of the special status of Jammu Kashmir – scrapping of Article 370).
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The lockdown has severely affected the lives of cab drivers, hoteliers, small traders, hawkers and daily wage labourers.
Kashmir is heavily dependent on tourism and horticulture and the lockdown has marred both these departments. Due to the prolonged lockdown, the marketing of fruits was affected, the farmers faced severe losses.
Also, the lockdown had an adverse effect on the tourism department, two tourist seasons in Kashmir have passed without any business which in turn impacted other sectors of the economy which are directly or indirectly associated with the tourism sector in Kashmir valley.
The hotels are heavily dependent on tourism in the valley but owing to prolonged lockdown they have barely made any profit in the past two years.
Owing to the significant improvement in the Covid-19 situation, the Jammu and Kashmir administrations in June announced the easing of restrictions. As the authorities have eased the lockdown restrictions in the valley, the hoteliers feel relieved.
Talking to The Kashmiriyat, Mohammad Ramzan, a local hotel owner said, “We are facing a crisis because we have to haggle on prices and that makes our profession tiresome and hectic because we have to convince people on everything.”
He further added, “We are just surviving on God’s mercy as Government has made us wander in the lonesome desert of worry and misery. Now our only hope is that Government eases out this lockdown and we may manage our expenses and just earn our bread because butter isn’t in our capacity now.”
In 2019, tourism was restricted because of the revocation of the special status of Jammu Kashmir and whereas in 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus crippled the tourism department in Kashmir.
Sameer Ahmed Wani, a hotelier from Pahalgam, talking to The Kashmiriyat said, “We faced a total economic clampdown as hotels were completely shut – there were no tourists and also local travel was restricted.”
Talking about managing his hotel staff amid lockdown, Sameer Ahmed said, “As the hotel was shut and we had no source of income – we were compelled to send the staff back home. We worked with half the staff in shifts and halved the payments as well.”
“Even though the restriction on tourism and cancellation of yatra affected us adversely but we cannot deny the fact that it prevented the spread of coronavirus also,” he added.
Talking about the reduction in hotel rates, Sameer Ahmed said, “Given there’s a low number of people visiting, the rates of our hotel has reduced drastically. In order to manage the expenses, we are compelled to offer a room at low rates.”
“No relief measures have been announced for us by the Government, we have suffered a lot but unfortunately we are not getting any attention from the Government,” Sameer Ahmed added.
The hoteliers also urged people to follow SOPs to avoid further Lockdown.
Sameer Ahmed told The Kashmiriyat, “We cannot bring back what is lost but if hoteliers, travellers, cab drivers and other people follow the SOPs properly we can somehow manage to recuperate.”