A group of 36 elderly tourists from the city who are in Pahalgam, went on a tour on Tuesday morning but could not reach Baisaran Valley because they could not take pony rides.

By Tuesday afternoon, they were thanking their stars.

The tourists were stuck in their hotel in the market area of Pahalgam on Tuesday evening. The neighbourhood was teeming with army and security personnel, they said.

“We arrived in Pahalgam on Monday afternoon and had planned a tour on Tuesday. Baisaran is one of the most popular destinations in Pahalgam and a must-visit spot,” said Bipul Das, manager of the group.

“However, one needs to take a pony ride to the valley, and since most of the members of the group are elderly, we decided not to go there,” Das told The Telegraph from Pahalgam on Tuesday evening.

The group visited Chandanwari, Aru Valley and Betaab Valley.

“Most tourists from Calcutta who come to Pahalgam want to visit Baisaran because of the beauty. It is sometimes described as Mini Switzerland,” said Das.

He had visited Baisaran last year when he went to Pahalgam with another group.

“We returned to our hotel and had a late lunch. Around 3pm, our tour manager informed us that a terror attack had taken place and that we should stay inside the hotel,” said Gautam Chattopadhyay, 67.

Chattopadhyay, a Garia resident, is on a holiday with his wife.

The group is at Hotel Taj Mahal, near the Petrol Pump Main Market.

“I watched through my hotel room window as the roads remained deserted for an hour. However, after some time, I saw a fleet of private vehicles leaving Pahalgam in a long queue. It seemed that the tourists who were supposed to leave later in the evening were rushing to get out,” said Chattopadhyay.

“The hotel staff told us that we are safe here and that there is no need to worry. We are not venturing out of the hotel,” said Chattopadhyay.

A hospital is nearby, and Das said they saw several ambulances entering the facility. “We heard ambulance sirens till late in the evening.”

In the afternoon, Das was in the hotel lobby when he saw people running. “The hotel staff said there was a terror attack and that we should not leave the hotel. Within a few minutes, army personnel barricaded the area, though some shops were open,” he said.

The group reached Srinagar on April 16. It was supposed to visit Vaishno Devi on Wednesday and return to Calcutta on April 24.

Late in the evening, Das said the area in front of their hotel, which looked busy till noon, had only security personnel. All lights in the streets were switched off, he said.

“An army officer came to the hotel reception and
asked everyone not to click pictures for security reasons,” he said.

The demand for Kashmir among tourists from Calcutta went up after the Covid pandemic, said tour operators.

“Many people are going to Kashmir because of better accessibility,” said Raktim Roy, MD, Dolphin Travels.

Since the pandemic, they have sent more than 20 groups, comprising 35 to 40 people, to Kashmir every year. The number was less than 10 before the pandemic, he said.

Now, IndiGo has two flights connecting Calcutta and Srinagar. One is a direct flight while the other has a stopover in Chandigarh.