Srinagar: On the third day of the Hindu holy pilgrimage- Amarnath, Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) has taken strong note of the harassment and problems being faced by the locals and tourists in view of the security arrangements for the Amarnath pilgrimage in Kashmir.
In a statement, TAAK President Farooq Ahmed Kuthoo said many tourists have got stuck on highways due to severe restrictions on the movement of non-yatri tourists.
Earlier, the authorities closed the Jammu-Srinagar highway due to security reasons.
Many Fruit dealers also protested against the closed highway stating that it is an economic loss as the fruits will rot in the intense heatwave.
“Not only have such restrictions put the general tourists to a lot of inconveniences but the travel agents outside J-K have stopped promoting Kashmir till mid-August bringing down the tourist influx abruptly,” said Khuthoo.
Khuthoo said preferential treatment to Amarnath Yatris is affecting Kashmir tourism badly.
“Kashmiris have welcomed yatris and other tourists alike for ages and no problem was faced by them but this year, the security arrangements have only compounded the problems and caused immense loss to leisure, adventure, and other tourism segments,” said TAAK President.
TAAK has appealed to the LG Manoj Sinha to look into it so that non-yatri tourists don’t suffer.
(KNT)
