Srinagar (J&K) : The house of Jammu and Kashmir has been integral part of the tourism industry in the valley. While tourists from across the country look forward to spend some quality time in house boats amid the serene natural beauty of Kashmir, several families also depend on them for earning their livelihood.
However, the iconic houseboats of Kashmir are in severe jeopardy according to the owners the administration has not given permission to repair them for years resulting in most them being in dilapidated condition and several damaged beyond repair.
"The severity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that from 2500 the number of houseboats has now come down 900 while several others likely to become unusable in the next few months if they are not repaired urgently," Abdul Rasheed General Secretary, Houseboat Owners Association told ETV Bharat. He also said that once there were thousands of houseboats in Dal Lake, Nagin and Jhelum River but those days are long gone.
The houseboat owners also said that there has been inordinate delay in getting permission from the Lakes and Conservation Development Authority and the Tourism Department for repairing the boats. Under the newly introduced houseboat policy, although owners can repair their houseboats in need under certain conditions, it is difficult for them to obtain permits for wood, accessories, and repairs.
The erstwhile government in Jammu and Kashmir in 2010 set up a dockyard in Dal Lake to repair damaged houseboats, but till now not a single houseboat has been built there neither has one been repaired. As a result, where the houseboats are in a bad condition and the dock yard also is in dilapidated condition. Currently, there are more than 200 houseboats in Dal Lake which are in urgent need of repair. Building new houseboats is neither allowed nor registration of any new houseboats can be done.
