City: Srinagar

Government figures suggest since January this year, seven lakh tourists have arrived, for the first time in the past decade.

This winter, Srinagar residents have had to spend nights at home without electricity even as temperatures plummeted to minus seven degrees.

The first and only one of its kind on the Dal Lake, Tariq Ahmed Patloo’s boat ambulance has all basic facilities, including an oxygen system.

There have been one or two reported suicides in Srinagar almost every week. Experts stress the need for more robust mental health care services.

No vegetables, no mutton, no LPG. Closure till March of the only surface link connecting the valley with rest of India has hit food supply and livelihoods.

Srinagar markets are open and business is gradually picking up. But customers are still few, and many traders are yet to get over the loss they have suffered.

“In the long run, we have to move beyond lockdowns and remain vigilant… we need to make certain changes in our lives,” said the flamboyant, active mayor of Srinagar in an exclusive interview.

The people of Kashmir have learnt some important survival lessons from coping with decades of conflict and resulting restrictions. So much so that Kashmiris living elsewhere are now calling home for advice on how to cope with life under lockdown.

The story is familiar. A few people returning from abroad, ignoring quarantine, meeting family and friends and then testing positive. A preacher, in particular, may have spread the virus far and wide in Kashmir.

Downtown Srinagar is still the place you should visit to sample the real essence of Kashmir — its artistic, social, cultural and spiritual heritage. But decades of official neglect and social unrest is slowly killing it all.

On one hand, strict High Court guidelines prohibit new registration of houseboats in Dal and Nigeen lakes in Srinagar. On the other, there are just three master craftsmen left, who can build these boats, the older ones among which are in decrepit state.

Those are just the figures since August 5th, as quoted in a report from the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Underlying these figures is the angst of thousands who did not get their salaries, students who struggled to prepare for crucial exams and many more.