The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to continue with the ban on construction of houseboats on the Kashmir Valley’s serene and most-visited Dal and Nigeen lakes, and evoked sharp reactions from dwellers of these lakes.
Lieutenant Governor G.C. Murmu, who chaired the State Administrative Council meeting, has decided that no new houseboat will be allowed to be constructed in the Dal and Nigeen lakes.
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“It is to regulate the functioning of houseboats and to preserve the lake for future generations by adopting sustainable tourism, preventing pollution of the lake. It will also provide a conducive and pleasant atmosphere for tourists and sustainable source of living for the houseboat owners,” said the SAC order.
There are around 1,200 registered houseboats moored in and around these two lakes in Srinagar. There has been a ban on construction since 1983. According to historians, an Englishman, M.T. Kennard, floated the idea to construct a houseboat between 1883 and 1888. These houseboats were a big hit with European travellers at one point of time and turned a Bollywood fascination in 1960s.
The government decision has not gone well with the lake dwellers. “The court is being misled on the issue of houseboats. We are allowed to repair a house boast but not to reconstruct it. Despite the fact, I have a licence,” Hanji Yaseen Tuman, whose family owns three houseboats for many decades, told The Hindu.
22 cases pending
According to officials, around 22 cases from the houseboat owners are pending for repair and reconstruction.
“A houseboat is an identity for a houseboat owner. In spite of finding a solution towards the minuscule problem of sanitation, the government is playing politics,” Mr. Tuman said.
