Srinagar youths revive traditional horse cart rides to attract tourists

SRINAGAR — In yet another instance to revive the traditional mode of transportation, a few Srinagar youths have come up with a ‘Royal Horse Cart’ on the famous foreshore road here, attracting visitors as well as the local populace.

The unique initiative has been taken by four youths from Srinagar, who include Shahid, Momin, Imtiyaz, and Aadil—all graduates. The reels of a trio ferrying tourists on the famous Boulevard road are trending on social media and the internet.

The unemployed youth have come up with a beautiful and royal Tonga ride for locals as well as tourists here.

Speaking to the news agency KNO, Shahid shared that this idea struck their minds as they were thinking about what tourists have in Srinagar except for the Shikara ride. “The Tonga ride was the first thing that struck our minds,” he said.

“As it is the first of its kind in Srinagar, except for the one at Lalit, we thought to revive our old tradition of the Tonga ride, and with that concept, we have added a historical touch,” said Shahid. He added, “We got the cart ready from Punjab and also have two horses, one white and one brown.”

Sharing details, he added, “We have three stops: from Nishat parking to Shalimar park costing Rs 1000, the second one to Duck Park with a fare of Rs 1500, and the third one from Nishat to Habak Srinagar for Rs 2000. We bought a horse for Rs 2 lakh, another for Rs 1.5 lakh, and got the royal cart ready at the cost of Rs 4.4 lakh with a GST of Rs 20,000,” said Shahid, adding, “We have taken permission from all the departments including Deputy Commissioner (DC), Police, Srinagar Smart City, and the tourism department, and everyone has helped us with permissions for the initiative.”

Pertinently, the Tonga ride has a profound history in Kashmir. It was once used as the cheapest means of transport by people to carry their essentials.