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Srinagar, Nov 23: Kashmir’s world-famous houseboats — once the signature charm of Dal Lake, Nigeen Lake and the Jhelum — are disappearing at a speed that has set off alarm bells across the tourism industry. Their number has crashed from nearly 2,000 to just 750, triggering fears that one of the Valley’s most recognisable symbols may vanish within a decade.

Speaking to Rising Kashmir, veteran houseboat owner and former president House Boat Owners Association, Ghulam Rasool Siah, said that the fast-vanishing number of houseboats is a big concern.

“We have been urging all the previous regimes to declare houseboats as heritage and announce a proper policy to preserve them. It’s been three decades, nothing has happened so far,” he said. “The serious concern is that Deodar wood i

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