Kashmir’s famous houseboats on brink of getting lost forever, locals seek government support

The locals said that a huge number of repair requests are pending with the government for the restoration of these houseboats.

Srinagar: The houseboats in the Kashmir valley that are famous all over the world are slowly fading away. The numbers have gone down from 5000 houseboats to just 900. At this rate, it is being feared that they might soon become history. The rich heritage of houseboats on water bodies of Kashmir Valley has always been a big tourist attraction. The stakeholders have always called it the ‘Jewel of Tourism Industry’ in the Kashmir Valley. But, more than 40 per cent of houseboats have vanished in the last three decades. The reason people living on the lake say is that they do not get permission to repair the houseboats. They say that a huge number of repair requests are pending with the government for the restoration of these houseboats and the unending wait has led to a decrease in the numbers of these houseboats.