Pahalgam, Sep 16: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce on Tuesday visited Pahalgam to review the losses suffered by tourism and allied industries after the April 22 Baisaran attack and assured stakeholders that their concerns would be taken up with the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government.
The attack, which killed 25 tourists and a local pony operator, dealt a severe blow to Kashmir’s tourism economy.
Cancellations poured in, hotels remained empty, pony wallas and shikara operators lost customers, and artisans and fruit growers reported sharp drops in sales.
“We unanimously decided after the Pahalgam attack that it is our responsibility to stand close to the people of J&K,” said Committee Chairperson and Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen, who led the delegation. “We can’t sit in Parliament and prepare reports from afar. To know the objective reality, we came here to listen directly to those who are suffering.”
The meeting, held at a conference hall of a hotel, brought together hoteliers, traders, artisans, fruit growers, cold storage operators, MSME representatives, and industrialists.
They pressed for long-term support to stabilise their livelihoods and revive investor confidence in Kashmir.
Fruit growers and cold chain operators sought fruit processing units and stronger storage infrastructure to protect produce and ensure year-round markets.
Industrialists called for ISI certification and GI tagging for Kashmiri willow bats, shawls, carpets, and papier-mâché products to boost global exports.
Tourism associations urged urgent measures to restore visitor confidence and rebuild infrastructure.
“All these sectors -tourism, handicrafts, MSMEs, and the fruit industry are the backbone of Kashmir’s economy,” Sen said. “We don’t carry a magic wand, but we are committed to a time-bound programme to restore livelihoods. The feedback we received here will be taken up with ministries of commerce, transport, industry, and agriculture.”
The committee members included Renuka Choudhary, cricketer-turned-politician Yousuf Pathan, Prashant Padole, Ramesh Avasti, Santosh Pande, Prashun Banerjee, and S P Singh Patel. Among officials present were Additional District Development Commissioner, Anantnag, Sandeep Singh Bali, Director Industries, Kashmir, Khalid Majeed, and DIC General Manager, Nazia Hassan.
The panel observed a moment of silence to mourn those killed in the April attack. “We also remembered the common citizens and security personnel who have lost their lives recently,” Sen said. “We are confident that together, the Centre and J&K governments will mitigate the sufferings of common people. We will overcome this together.”
Sen emphasised that the panel’s report would be based on consultations, not assumptions. “Ours is perhaps the first parliamentary committee to have visited Pahalgam to know the objective reality rather than only preparing a report in Delhi. We listened to stakeholders, we will listen more, and then only will we prepare our final report,” she said. The delegation would continue consultations in Srinagar and fly to Leh on Wednesday to meet stakeholders in Ladakh. Tourism is a key pillar of J&K’s economy, along with horticulture and handicrafts. Local associations say the April 22 Baisaran attack caused an immediate collapse in bookings, affecting both large hotels and small vendors who depend on visitors for daily income.
