No money left, Shikara owners struggle to survive in Srinagar

For the last months, with the tourism sector reeling under a massive loss followed by the coronavirus enforced lockdown has left many houseboat owners worried to fend for themselves and fight for their survival.

The road along Dal Lake in Srinagar ordinarily brims with tourists, who come to bask in the commanding views of the snowcapped mountains.

Around 30,000 people are directly dependent on the tourism industry including people owing some 4,500 registered Shikaras while there are lakhs who indirectly benefit from the sector. (PTI File)

But for the last months, with the tourism sector reeling under a massive loss followed by the coronavirus enforced lockdown has left many houseboat owners worried to fend for themselves and fight for their survival.

Bashir Ahmad, 50, a Shikara owner who has been rowing his boat for tourists on Dal Lake for 25 years now, has seen many bad patches in his life but he said life in Covid-19 lockdown has been worse.

All his savings have exhausted and now he is struggling to feed his wife and three daughters. “Whatever money I had earned has been exhausted. We are sustaining on rice which the administration has provided us with. As age is not by my side, I cannot do hard labour and there is no other work anywhere,” he said

Aijaz Ahmad Chachoo’s story is no different. His Shikara which was built at a cost of ₹120,000 in 2018 has been idle for months now. “We are somehow sustaining by limiting our daily food intake,” he said.

The 32-year-old had taken a loan of ₹30,000 to build his boat and hoped that tourist arrival in 2019 would fetch him good returns which were dashed after Centre’s decision to put the region under restrictions for months. Now the lockdown since mid-March has things worse for him.

Around 30,000 people are directly dependent on the tourism industry including people owing some 4,500 registered Shikaras while there are lakhs who indirectly benefit from the sector. Many of these Shikara owners are poor and earn hand to mouth.

Javaid Ahmad, a Shikarawala who also does tailoring work, says that the situation of many families dependent on Shikaras was critical. “It is total shutdown and many families are suffering. Most of these families are poor and dependent on 4-5 months of tourist season. They would sustain their families for the whole year only if the tourist season succeeded,” he said.

Tourism nosedived from August last year as days before the August 5 decision of the Centre to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and with the government asking tourists to leave the region. Then restrictions, communication blockade, and uncertain situation kept tourists away in most of the previous year as well this year.

Umar Zaroor, 28, a Shikara owner who is taking care of his six younger siblings and mother after his father’s death, has now started to do labour work as he feels that the tourism is not going to revive here this year as well even after the lockdown will be lifted.

“We know it is going to be the same even after the lockdown period is over. It is better to be prepared than relying on false hopes of tourism revival here,” he said.