GoAir became the first airline ever to start a direct flight from Mumbai to Srinagar. It also hopes to start operations to Srinagar from Delhi.
SRINAGAR: Luscious cherries from Kashmir may not be a distant dream for Mumbaikars anymore. The Kashmir government is pinning hopes on GoAir, which launched a twice-a-week Mumbai-Srinagar flight on April 6, to solve the problem of transporting the fruit.
“Shipping cherries to the rest of the country has been a huge problem. I hope GoAir takes care of our cargo as well,” said Muzaffar Hussain Beig, deputy chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir, while welcoming the managing director of GoAir, Jeh Wadia to Srinagar.
GoAir became the first airline ever to start a direct flight from Mumbai to Srinagar. It also hopes to start operations to Srinagar from Delhi, which will give a major boost to the tourism industry that is likely to attract 12 lakh tourists this year.
In a land where tourism was the mainstay till terrorism raised its ugly head, things slowly, but surely seem to be returning to normal. Be it a sports enthusiast, a lover of nature or just a connoisseur of good food, they all find something to appreciate in this multi-faceted paradise. Skiing on the slopes of Gulmarg, a walk through the Mughal gardens, a ride on the shikaras, or a taste of the 42-dish Wazwan (the traditional Kashmiri feast) are just a few of the pulls that draw you to the state.
It’s pertinent to mention here that those planning a visit to the state better do so fast as the houseboats, synonymous with the Dal Lake and one of the defining symbols of Kashmiri tourism, are dying a slow death.
“Cedar wood, out which these boats are made, is bought at Rs 2,200 per cubic foot, taking the total cost of building a house boat to around Rs 1.8-2 crore. However, the pencil industry, which uses the same wood, gets it at Rs 50-100 per cubic foot,” said M Azim Tuman, chairman of the House Boat Owners’ Association.
Besides, there is only one ageing master carpenter left, who is proficient in building these floating structures. “In the next 10-15 years, these houseboats will be a thing of the past,” added Tuman.
“It was one of my father’s dreams to have Kashmir etched on the world’s tourist map. His dreams are finally taking shape,” said Abhijit Patil, chief executive officer of Raja Rani Travels, talking about his late father and founder of the tour operator, Raja Patil. The travel agency was one of the few that promoted tourism in Kashmir even during the height of insurgency. It has also been instrumental in the swelling tourist numbers to Kashmir of late —from 20,000 in 2003 to 40,000 in 2004 and 6 lakh in 2005.
This number is set to bloat even further what with GoAir’s flights to Srinagar already fully booked for the next three months.
All this points out to only one fact that the ‘Kashmir ki kal’i is all set to bloom once more.
This correspondent was in Srinagar and Gulmarg recently at the invitation of GoAir and Raja Rani Travels
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