Srinagar, Oct 17 (NVI): The National Loktantrik Party (NLP) on Saturday urged the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government to announce a comprehensive relief package for houseboat owners in Kashmir, citing prolonged economic hardships, pending registration renewals and rising maintenance costs.
Muhammad Yaqoob Dunoo, national spokesperson of the NLP, said houseboat owners had played a crucial role in sustaining Kashmir’s tourism industry during the turbulent 1990s, when the sector faced severe challenges due to prolonged unrest.
He said the community continued to welcome tourists and preserve Kashmir’s traditional hospitality despite difficult circumstances, but was now struggling to sustain its livelihood amid successive economic setbacks.
Describing houseboats as an integral part of Kashmir’s cultural identity and tourism heritage, Dunoo said it was unfortunate that those who helped keep the tourism industry alive during its most difficult period were still awaiting meaningful government support.
He said houseboat owners had repeatedly been assured that timber would be provided at subsidised rates for repairs and maintenance. However, despite assurances and circulars issued by the Tourism Department, the promised relief had not translated into tangible benefits for the affected families, he alleged.
Dunoo said the houseboat sector had suffered repeated setbacks following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Pahalgam incident, which, he claimed, had further affected tourism-related livelihoods.
Despite these challenges, houseboat owners had not received the comprehensive financial assistance required to recover from their losses, he said, adding that electricity bills continued to impose a financial burden on owners already struggling to maintain their properties.
The NLP spokesperson called for the waiver of eligible outstanding electricity dues for 2019 and 2025, particularly in cases where houseboat owners had suffered prolonged losses due to successive crises.
He also sought a special soft-loan and financial assistance package to enable owners to undertake essential repairs, maintain their properties and preserve the traditional houseboat sector.
Raising concerns over registration renewals, Dunoo said several houseboat owners were facing difficulties due to pending No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and procedural requirements. He claimed that some renewal cases had remained unresolved for years, with cases reportedly pending since 2009.
While acknowledging the importance of environmental protection, lake conservation and public safety, he said regulatory procedures should be transparent, practical and time-bound so that legitimate concerns did not become an additional burden on houseboat owners.
Dunoo urged the government to simplify the NOC and registration renewal process and establish a time-bound mechanism to clear pending cases. He also called for renewal of registrations without insisting on pending NOCs as a blanket precondition, wherever legally permissible, subject to essential environmental and safety requirements.
The party further demanded a dedicated grievance-redressal mechanism involving the Tourism Department and other concerned authorities to address the problems faced by houseboat owners and prevent unnecessary delays.
Appealing to the Prime Minister, the Union government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration, Dunoo said the historic contribution of houseboat owners to the region’s tourism industry should be recognised through concrete policy measures rather than repeated assurances.
He said the houseboat community had continued to protect Kashmir’s heritage and hospitality during periods of uncertainty and deserved financial support and a dignified future.
“A government that wishes to revive tourism must first protect the people who kept it alive,” Dunoo said, calling for urgent measures to safeguard houseboats, protect the livelihoods of their owners and preserve the traditional heritage for future generations.
There was no immediate response from the government to the demands.—(NVI)
