SHILLONG, Feb 19: Two years on, small-time roadside vendors and shopkeepers around Sohra area, especially at Mawkdok Dympep valley viewpoint, have seen slow business owing to the low footfall of tourists due to the pandemic and restrictions thereon. The tables turning this way on the once-lucrative trade in Sohra has affected the livelihoods of a number of petty traders and other businesses alike.
En route to Cherrapunjee and about six-minutes away from the caves lies the Mawkdok-Dympep Valley Viewpoint.
Sloping hills carpeted in green from either side joining in an almost ‘V’ shape make for spectacular sightings and photography. Almost every tourist visiting Sohra makes it a point to stop here for a brief break or to simply take photographs.
But the two years of crushing pandemic has adversely affected tourist flow to these areas, thereby taking a toll on the earnings of the locals, who heavily rely on tourism for revenue.
Out of the many cafés and eateries in Mawkdok area, one food joint that sells fast food and other items has reportedly faced major losses. The owner, M Shabong, said that he incurred approximately Rs 2 lakh of loss after having to discard supplies.
The discarded items were fed to the pigs, he said.
Shabong said that the number of tourists and visitors coming to his café has also gone down drastically. “In the pre-COVID era, we had no time but nowadays, the number of people coming to our shop has gone down drastically,” he said.
Another shop owner, S Shabong, said that most of her goods such as traditional Khasi souvenirs have rusted.
Unable to give an estimate of the losses, she added that the lockdown has brought about many miseries for her and hundreds like her in Sohra, who are dependent on tourism.
The shop owners in this tourist spot are now afraid to stock up fearing uncertainty. They, nonetheless, are optimistic that the future will be better for them and for Sohra.
Another lady, who was selling roasted corn at Mawkdok, and did not wished to be identified, was somewhat grateful to see some tourists visiting Sohra area.
