Srinagar: Grappling with three years of losses in business due to restrictions after the abrogation of Article 370 and COVID lockdown, the Kashmiri business community has urged the administration to think beyond lockdowns.
Following the fresh spike in COVID cases in the last few weeks in Jammu and Kashmir, the administration has imposed a weekend lockdown across the Union Territory.
The business and tourism sector has suffered more than Rs 50 crore losses since Article 370 abrogation and lockdowns.
The traders and tourism stakeholders say that if the government continues with lockdowns, it will further cripple the economy of Kashmir.
"Lockdown will be the last nail in the coffin. The government needs to take traders and other stakeholders on board to devise a strategy so that business is not hit further and covid too does not spread," Qazi Tawseef, spokesman of Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Association, told ETV Bharat.
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With fresh weekend lockdowns and a spike in cases, tour operators said that the tourists have started canceling bookings even though the tourism department has urged the government to allow the movement of tourists.
The tourism sector had picked pace in the last few months after a slump of two years.
"Tourism stakeholders and workers are fully vaccinated and follow all SOPs while dealing with the tourists. Due to the announcement of the weekend lockdown, tourists are canceling their bookings. The government should take us on board before taking any measures as the tourism sector can't afford more lockdowns," Farooq Kuthoo, a leading tourism operator, told ETV Bharat.
