New winds are blowing through Kashmir valley

If Rip Van Winkle were to suddenly wake up from his slumber in Srinagar, with its milling crowds and jammed roads, he could be forgiven for thinking that he was in some other State capital, like Patna or Lucknow, though the surrounding majestic mountains and armed soldiers standing at every twenty meters would soon bring him back to reality.

- RASHMI TAK

Yet, the festive feeling in the city of Srinagar cannot be overstated - tourists are happy that they are finally visiting the beautiful valley, while locals are happily raking in the moolah. All hotels, from hole-in-the-wall ones to five-star ones, are fully booked, and shops are fully stocked - literally bursting at the seams with merchandise.

Not Srinagar alone; the entire Kashmir Valley is experiencing prosperity on an unprecedented scale. New, beautiful wooden houses dot the landscape; locals roam around in brand-new cars; and most gardens are full of picnicking boys and girls in smart school uniforms. Like Srinagar roads, the famed Dal Lake often sees shikara jams in the evening. Malls have started to pop up in all cities. Shops no longer close their shutters at sundown, though it is certainly not advisable to roam around at night.

Sadly, the available infrastructure is unable to cope with the tourist influx. Roads to all tourist spots are perennially jammed; roads not accustomed to heavy traffic have developed myriad potholes. Hotels do not have enough staff to attend to their guests. Despite consistent efforts at cleaning, weeds and flotsam in Dal Lake refuse to go away. Locals can be heard saying that there can be too much of a good thing.