• last month
As the Kashmir Election draws to a close, Kashmiri Houseboat owners, the owners of Shikara have expressed their deep worry for the sinking heritage. What they expect from the Kashmir election outcome, we discussed with them.


#Shikara #KashmirElections #JKElections #NationalConference #NC #Jammu #Kashmir #Indianews #Oneindia #Oneindianews
~HT.97~PR.320~
Transcript
00:00The houseboat sank because we were not given permission to repair it.
00:10All the houseboats have been saved.
00:14We cannot imagine how the houseboat owner managed to save it in these 35 years.
00:18Is the houseboat industry facing an existential threat?
00:22Definitely, because every picture is in black and white.
00:26As our number is getting declined, so this is one of the major facts that maybe in coming time we don't have houseboats.
00:35The iconic houseboats in the world-famous Dal Lake are staring at a bleak future.
00:41From 2000 in early 1980s, the numbers have come down to just 750.
00:49When we build a houseboat, it costs 3-4 crore rupees.
00:53At that time, when my father built it, now it must be more than that.
00:57Look at the carving of the houseboat.
01:00A man comes here and builds it by hand.
01:04This is not a machine made.
01:06It costs lakhs of rupees.
01:09And when we spent 3-4 crore rupees on it,
01:14I think my life depends on it.
01:19Because I have to pay for my family, education, children, everything.
01:24But the problem is that when it is damaged,
01:28when it is finished, I won't get anything.
01:31In the end, I come to zero.
01:33That's why today's generation doesn't want to come here.
01:37They are disappointed.
01:39Because in the end, if I cannot repair my houseboat,
01:42then what's the point?
01:44It means that I have wasted my life.
01:53Are Kashmir's beautiful houseboats under threat of extinction,
01:58as many houseboat owners say?
02:01Look, till the 1990s, the number of houseboats was very high.
02:09Whether you talk about Jhelum, Sontkul, Nigan or Dal Lake,
02:15there were thousands of houseboats.
02:18Not just houseboats, but also Dunga Boats, Bahats, Khuchu, Annex Boats.
02:24There were many types of boats.
02:26Different shapes and different names.
02:28But when the situation got worse here,
02:31you know, in 35 years, Kashmir went way back.
02:37There was nothing for people to eat here.
02:41There was that time too.
02:43Because we had a houseboat, we couldn't take it anywhere.
02:47Our business was here.
02:49When tourists came here,
02:51there were many people who had nothing to eat.
02:56Very few.
02:58They tried so hard to save our houseboat.
03:03But there were many houseboats that didn't survive.
03:07Those that were not maintained.
03:09If we had been given a repairing order,
03:13they would have survived.
03:15But the government's policy,
03:17they only come and take photographs.
03:20They take our photographs and say,
03:22we will do this, we will do that.
03:24They told us to insure the houseboats.
03:27We did that too.
03:28We also insured the fire service.
03:32They told us to pay the electricity bill.
03:36We did that too.
03:38We said we want to save our houseboats.
03:41We will give them a repairing order.
03:43The biggest issue is our license.
03:46They are not renewing our license.
03:49The houseboats that have drowned in 35 years,
03:52they are no more.
03:54As you can see,
03:56today there are only 800 houseboats.
04:00There are no Dunga boats.
04:03There are no Bahats.
04:10Maybe not more than a decade's time,
04:12the government will not take some immediate steps
04:14to secure this community and the houseboats,
04:17which are always in the forefront
04:19to promote tourism at any level,
04:21be it national or international levels,
04:23and work hard since not decades,
04:25maybe from centuries.
04:27The houseboat known as the crown of the tourism of J&K,
04:30unfortunately the government has not come up with any policy
04:33or any comprehensive policy for safeguarding of the houseboats.
04:37Our demand was that we should be declared as a heritage.
04:41Houseboats have existed since long.
04:43Now the decreasing number is worrying us.
04:46I am very much worried that our young generations
04:50have to face a harsh time
04:52and we don't have any other source of livelihood
04:54so we can earn from there and feed our families.
04:57We are also aware and we are also the main promoters of the tourism.
05:02So if houseboats will decline,
05:04same what they are doing,
05:06as of now they are getting declined
05:08and even is getting sinked.
05:10For the renovations, we have to get the permissions.
05:13It takes us years to get a permission for the repairs.
05:16Our licenses are not renewed.
05:18So we have so many challenges
05:20that we don't find any single window system.
05:228-10 houseboats got burnt.
05:26At that time everyone came
05:28that we will do this, we will do that, we will give this.
05:31Till now they have not been given a single penny.
05:33We don't have that much money.
05:35If houseboats were made in lakhs or 2 lakhs
05:38in the 80s or 5 lakhs,
05:40today the same houseboats are made in 6 crores.
05:44So everything is expensive.
05:46Among other challenges,
05:48the next government in J&K
05:50also faces a big challenge
05:52of saving these wooden wonders from extinction.
05:56In Srinagar, for One India,
05:58Ishaar Ali.

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