First the pandemic and then the border tension on the LAC cripple economy in Ladakh

I earned just Rs 1500 this year after giving a lecture to a group of students. All the other bookings have got cancelled which cost us crores of rupees,” says Deleks Namgyar (43) who started his own travel agency ‘Ladakh Safari’ in 2010. He had put all his savings into the venture.

But first the pandemic and now the border tension in eastern Ladakh have hit tourism, the mainstay of the economy in the region, hard.

Namgyar, who has to pay salary to six of his employees, is worried. He had worked in advertising agencies after completing his Honours in History from Delhi University.

“All the money I had saved has been exhausted. This year has been a zero income for 350 travel agencies operating in Ladakh,” he said, who is also General Secretary of Ladakh Tour and Travel Agents Operators.

“Pangong Lake is the most sought destination and majority of people visit Ladakh because of this famed lake. There won’t be any tourism next year either if the prevailing situation continues along the LAC,” he said.

Sonam (60), a resident from Chumathang, a village bordering Leh, exclaims that he had never seen such a huge military build-up along the LAC. “Shepherds are unable to take their sheep for grazing near the LAC because of the prevailing tension,” he adds to explain that even farmers have been affected. The sparse population in Chumathang and other nearby villages are dependent on agriculture and goat rearing.

Traders could not import goods from China this year, says Gormit Kunchak (62), a footpath vendor in Leh. “We are still selling Chinese toffees which were bought last year. But our business is shut,” said Kunchak, a resident of Beema village, 150 kms from Leh. Every sector has been affected, he informs. Transporters are badly hit. And few are able to feed their families.

Gormit would make a daily profit of Rs 800 before the pandemic struck early this year. “We are now at a stage where we have difficulty making a daily profit of even Rs 200. We will face starvation if the prevailing situation continues,” he added.

Pangong Tso is a long, narrow and deep lake situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft. The 135 km-long lake is six km wide at its broadest point. The 45 km-long western part of the lake is under Indian control, while the rest is now controlled by China. The lake began to attract tourists since the Bollywood hit 3 Idiots was shot there in 2009.

“Representatives of hoteliers, transporters, restaurant owners have presented a memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor seeking relief,” says Tsewang Yangjor, a prominent hotelier.

Tundu Prunbo, a student, explained, “People are not allowed to go to Pangong. It has had a huge impact on nomads. We will lose grazing land, cattle and nomadic tribes,” he explained.

Mohammad Ashraf (50), a Srinagar resident has been selling handicrafts in Leh for many years. But this time, he is selling fruits and vegetables. “There is still a market for vegetables but not for handicrafts,” he adds wryly