With most of the ghats on either side of the river Ganga at Rishikesh wearing an almost deserted look ever since disaster struck the State on June 16 -17, the world famous hub for pilgrims Rishikesh, which attracts visitors from across the globe, bears a gloomy look. For the past 18 days, tourists’ inflow to the the town has reach an all-time low, leading to despair in locals.
A sort of despondency prevails in the town. Only a few people are reaching the ghats to offer prayers to the Ganga. Among them, mostly are locals. At Triveni Ghat, a couple from Rishikesh was offering prayer to the Ganga. “We came here to pay obeisance to Ganga Maa as it is our marriage anniversary today,” the couple said.
Apart from the duo, three to four persons were present on the Ghat. Shatrughan Ghat, which used to be crowded with pilgrims round the clock, is now a deserted place. Two persons were sitting on the stairs. They were seen looking at the fast flowing Ganga. Only a foreign tourist visited the Ghat and returned after a few minutes.
Traffic on the routes and narrow lanes of the town is also very thin. Though autos and taxis are present at the stands, there are hardly any takers for them. Drivers spend their day waiting for the pilgrims. “It is a slump year for us as far as business in concerned,” Ramanand, a taxi driver, said.
He called it aftermath of the catastrophe. “We literally struggle to earn our livelihood. Anyhow, I am meeting the expenses of my family. I don’t see any chance of revival of the business during this season as rainy season has already started,” he said.
Hotel and restaurant owners are also a saddened lot as all bookings were cancelled. Hotel rooms are lying vacant. There are around 500 hotels and dhabas in the town. Govind Agrawal, who owns a restaurant near Ram Jhula, said, “I was expecting good business this season. But the catastrophe shattered our expectations.”
Agrawal claimed, “Instead of earning profit, I am bound to incur loss in business everyday as I have to pay salary to the staff from my pocket. If I closed down my restaurant, it would be beneficial for me.
However, I can not afford it as it would be too difficult to get the staff back.”
Municipal council chairman Deep Sharma reiterates the same story. “There are several traders who stored stock by borrowing fund and are shocked since they don’t get new orders to supply the goods to the shopkeepers in mountainous districts where rains wreaked havoc,” Sharma said.
Sharma added that the disaster hit the business of the town badly. “There are no tourists. Very few people are visiting the town these days. From taxi drivers to bus owners, from restaurant owners to hotel owners, from small traders to whole sellers, all are concerned since it is not clear as to how long will it take for the good days to return,” Sharma said, adding the scene changed in the town after June 17. Since then neither the pilgrims, nor the foreign tourists are visiting the pilgrim centre, which was full of foreign and domestic tourists before 16.