JK floods: Srinagar's tourism business shattered

Ghulam Hassan, a taxi driver, was hopeful that after this tourist season he would be able to payback all the instalments of his bank-loan that he had taken from a private bank to buy his vehicle.
Floods shattered all his hopes.
After suffering huge losses during the 2008 and 2010 unrest in the Kashmir Valley, the people associated with the tourism industry were hopeful to make some recovery, but the floods have left their hopes shattered.
With the militancy-related violence at its lowest ebb, the Kashmir Valley was enjoying a huge influx of domestic and foreign tourists, but following the floods of September 7 majority of the tourists present in the Valley have returned.

Many like Hassan are struggling hard to make both ends meet after the disastrous flood.
"Before the floods hit the Srinagar city, my taxi was booked for the entire season and I was hopeful that I would be able to payback all the installments of the loan that I had borrowed from the bank to buy the taxi," Hassan said.

Hassan says,"a dark future lies ahead for me and my entire family" as following the floods all the tourists have left Kashmir and there was no hope of their return in the near future.
Once counted amongst the famous tourist hotspot of the Kashmir Valley, the renowned Boulevard Road situated on the banks of Dal Lake, today present a deserted look.

Most of the houseboats in the Dal Lake are empty, while many have been severely damaged by the floodwater, making them dangerous for people to live in.
"We have been hit hard, our livelihood has been baldy affected. All the tourists present in the Valley have already left and those who were supposed to come have cancelled their visit," Shabeer Ahmed a houseboat owner said.
Several houseboats were in dire need of renovation as they were left defunct for several years following the increase in militancy related violence.