Flood aftermath: Massive job cuts in Kashmir

With floods hitting trade and commerce badly in Kashmir, private sector here has seen a steep rise in job cuts.
According to traders livelihoods of over four lakh youth have been directly affected by the worst ever floods in a century that Kashmir witnessed earlier last month.
“Things are going to be worse in the coming days. Already 4-5 lakh youths have been rendered jobless as the business sector has been the worst hit in the floods,” President Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) Shiekh Ashiq told Greater Kashmir.
“Most of the job cuts have been in the tourism and its allied sectors, as also in the general trade which have been worst hit by the floods,” he said.
“Many companies and outside state concerns which were operating here left Kashmir after the floods. Similarly, the commercial hubs and prominent markets like The Boulevard, Lal Chowk and Karan Nagar, where thousands of youths were engaged in different businesses, were badly hit by the floods,” Ashiq explained.
He said the labour industry in Kashmir has suffered the most. Jammu and Kashmir government has already estimated the losses at Rs 1 lakh crore (1 trillion) in housing, business and other sectors in the recent floods.
Chief spokesman Kashmir Economic Alliance, Siraj Ahmad said the central government should announce a massive economic package for Kashmir to give some relief to the flood-affected as also to the jobless youth.
“Already there was widespread unemployment in Kashmir and now the floods have added to the problem,” Siraj said.
Siraj said the hoteliers in Kashmir following dip in tourist arrivals in the wake of floods in Kashmir have started terminating the jobs of many youth.
Health experts said that the spike in the unemployment will add to the depression among the youths. According to them in the last two decades of political unrest in Kashmir, number of patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has tremendously increased.
“This has to be understood in a proper context. People have already lost their homes and everything, and now when they lose their jobs, this adds to their stress,” Dr Mansoor, Registrar Department of Psychiatry GMC Srinagar said.