Ludhiana, May 10 -- Taxi operators across Ludhiana are grappling with a severe slump in business, reporting over 70% drop in bookings as panic gripped residents following the recent border escalation on Thursday night. According to operators, prominent destinations including Amritsar, Srinagar, Leh-Ladakh, Manali and Kasauli have seen mass cancellations as families shelved their summer travel plans.

The downturn, operators say, began after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam. Since then, a steady wave of cancellations has followed by travellers, particularly those who had made advance bookings two to three months prior for trips to Srinagar and nearby hill destinations. The fallout, compounded by fresh border tensions on Thursday night, has ...