Jammu, August 30:
The landslide on the climb to the Vaishno Devi Bhawan has caused a major economic blow to the Katra market. The market has been completely empty for the last two days. The pilgrims have returned to their homes. The pilgrims who had already started climbing the Bhawan have been safely evacuated by the Shrine Board.
The building complex has been completely evacuated and the passengers who were present in Katra town have been advised to go home. After this, all the passengers have returned home. At present, less than ten percent of the people are left in Katra as compared to normal days. These are the passengers who had started their journey around the day of the accident.
After the return of the tourists, the Katra market is completely deserted. The hotels, dhabas, dry fruit shops and auto drivers here have been badly affected. Hotel bookings are being cancelled continuously. The tourists who had reached Katra with three to four days’ booking have also returned. Hotel operators Surendra, Jitendra and Desraj in Katra said that the business started getting affected after the Pahalgam attack.
