Srinagar, May 24 -- At Srinagar's once-bustling Tourist Reception Centre, rows of parked tourist vans and SUVs stand still under the midday sun. An unusual sight during what should be peak season in Kashmir. The mood is grim. Engines are silent, and so are the hopes of hundreds of young transporters who had banked on the Valley's booming tourism industry to secure their futures.

For Kashmir's fledgling class of youth transport entrepreneurs - many of whom borrowed heavily from banks to purchase commercial vehicles - the silence is deafening, and the losses are mounting.

"EMIs don't stop, but the tourists have. I haven't earned a single rupee since the attack. Every day I come here, hoping for a booking, but there's nothing. How long can...