A meeting attended by officials of the Kerala Maritime Board and Ports Department has decided to seize and dismantle all vessels, including houseboats, operating illegally on inland waters in the State.
The meeting has been convened in the wake of a houseboat getting gutted near Pathiramanal island in Alappuzha on January 23.
All boats operating without registration certificate should register as per the Kerala Inland Vessel Rules by February 29.
“We have decided to take action against vessels without mandatory registration, survey and insurance certificates and pollution clearance.
Action will be taken against those boats operating in places other than their place of registration,” said an official.
According to the Ports Department, the licensing authority, the number of registered houseboats on the backwaters is 775. However, they are clueless on the actual number of illegal houseboats.
