Kashmir's famed houseboats hit by conservation rules
By Sheikh Mushtaq
SRINAGAR (Reuters Life!) - For nearly a century, hand-carved houseboats bobbing on a placid lake drew millions of visitors to the stunningly beautiful Himalayan region of Kashmir.
But today a grand houseboat where Beatle George Harrison once stayed sits rotting and half-submerged in the mirror calm Dal lake, one of Kashmir's main tourist attractions.
The number of ornate boats is dwindling because of an 18-year-old ban on new construction of cedarwood houseboats and strict rules on renovation.
"Less than 1,000 houseboats are left now and the number is dwindling with each passing day," Mohammad Azim Tuman, president of the Houseboat Owners Association, said.
Tuman said there were 1,500 two decades ago when an anti-India insurgency hit the region, sending tourism numbers crashing.
Separatist violence has also killed tens of thousands of people in Kashmir, a picturesque corner of the world locked between India, China and Pakistan.
Houseboats - with names such as Noah's Ark, Mona Lisa, Helen of Troy and Queen of Hearts -- were first introduced in Dal Lake by the British nearly a century ago.
Authorities say pollution from houseboats is one of the reasons threatening the survival of Dal Lake. Continued...
Dubai Debt Fears
Banks outside the Gulf played down their exposure to Dubai debt, after fears the emirate could default and even derail world economic recovery prompted a sell-off in global markets. Full Article | Slideshow
One Year Later
Mumbai held tearful memorials and police staged a show of strength as it marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people and pushed up tensions with Pakistan. Slideshow | Full Coverage
