Dal Lake’s fuel-powered boating push has suffered a setback with Jammu and Kashmir High Court imposing an interim ban on motorboats, including motorised shikaras and jet skis, to curb pollution.
A motorboat owner said the decision would hit the livelihood of around 170 vessel owners and halt the growing trend of shikara operators, who traditionally rowed their boats, switching to motors.
A division bench of Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Rajesh Sekhri passed the interim order on Wednesday, citing concerns about damage to the natural ecosystem and mounting pollution levels.
The bench warned that any violation of the order will invite contempt proceedings. “In the larger interest of justice, taking a comprehensive view of the submissions made, it is directed that the respondent authorities LCMA (Lakes Conservation and Management Authority), tourism and police shall ensure that no motorboat, whether it be a shikara motorboat or jet ski which operates by fuel, is operated in the Dal Lake until further orders.
“We direct that in case any motorised boat is allowed to ply or is reported to ply, it shall be held as contempt of today’s order of this court, and therefore the officers concerned shall take a strict view by restricting and prohibiting such operations,” the court ordered.
The court clarified that government vessels used for emergency services, disaster management, safety, and law and order operations are exempt from the order. The bench said the transition to clean energy could resolve the tension between ecology and commerce. “This court is not hesitant to observe that solar and electric boats could be a solution for balancing the equities between tourism and the sustenance of lakes,” it said.
The court passed the order on a plea concerning the licensing and renewal of permission to operate motorboats on the Dal Lake as the authorities have shifted the power to do so from the tourism department to the regional transport office.
The petitioners said shifting licensing powers left operators in a limbo and sought directions to ensure uniform, transparent and environmentally balanced criteria for boat licences. They acknowledged that a regulated and protected approach was required since motorised vessels are likely to damage the lake’s ecosystem.
Tourism stakeholders claim the lake faced much bigger threats from encroachments, with LCMA reportedly turning a blind eye to areas which are seen as a vote bank for influential politicians.
“Every day new constructions are coming up after filling up portions of the lake, particularly on both sides of a road from Ashai Bagh Bridge to Saida Kadal Bridge. Nobody dares to touch them,” a motorboat owner said. “Large volumes of untreated sewage also find their way into the lake.”
The court has directed the Jammu and Kashmir administration to formulate a comprehensive motorised boat policy in consultation with experts, keeping in mind the need to balance the interests of tourism and pollution control. The matter will be heard again on October 30.