The business of the taxi drivers in Doon valley has also suffered substantially due to majority of tourists cancelling their bookings following the heavy rains and resulting disasters across the State.
The scenic beauty of this valley and its connectivity to other tourist spots in the State attracts a considerable number of tourists from across the nation and even abroad. However, the stream of tourists have stalled due to the damage caused by heavy rains recently.
Buddh Ram, a taxi driver, said, “The recent rains have badly affected our business and there seems little hope of recovery in the near future during the current season. We report to the taxi stand early in the morning with the hope of earning but after waiting for the whole day we leave for home in the evening without any income”.
Another taxi driver,Prem Singh said, “Due to landslides and other problems, many roads in the mountainous areas are blocked. We did good business before the advent of the monsoon but heavy and consistent rains caused a downward spiral in our income. Due to the devastation nobody wants to take the risk and visit the tourist spots now which is adding to our worries. This taxi stand looks as if an exhibition of taxis is being staged here because the vehicles are not moving for most of the day,” he added.
The president of the old taxi stand union, Vijender Dutt Bahuguna said, “We are facing a tough time as almost 90 per cent of bookings by visitors have been cancelled following the rains and disasters. For us the whole season seems to be off now as we are not expecting very much in the remaining season.Due to landslides and roads being blocked to traffic in many areas, people who had booked earlier are cancelling their bookings. The tourists who were staying in the hotels have also departed from here so now all we can do is wait for a miracle,” he said.