Srinagar, Aug 11: While the tourist boom this year gave a new life to the industry after three consecutive summers of turmoil in Kashmir, the houseboats owners said “strategic developments” achieved by their association proved the icing on the cake as most of the floating marvels in the City have advanced bookings for the coming months.
The houseboat owners said had the Houseboat Owners Association (HBOA), the apex body of 1200 odd houseboats in the Srinagar waterbodies failed to keep arrangements well in place, not all of them would have been benefited by the tourist boom this summer.
They said the first achievement for the fraternity remained that the HBOA Chairman Manzoor Ahmed Wangnoo succeeded in getting the houseboat booking counter opened at an “advantageous” location at the Srinagar International Airport.
“Airport has always been the main source of clients because flying in tourists look for houseboat accommodation as soon as they land in Kashmir. But what used to happen in the past was that a mafia, which was running monopoly in the bookings there would benefit a selected group of houseboats while majority of others would remain deprived of their genuine share,” the houseboat owners said.
“But after the introduction of a general counter for houseboat bookings at prominent place at the Airport, we all got benefited,” they hailed.
The other “historic achievement”, the houseboat owners said, was the proposal for a dockyard, which realized because of the strenuous efforts of the HBOA.
“The facility was a long pending demand for houseboats as there was no place to repair them. But now the same is coming up and is expected to be commissioned soon,” the houseboat owners said.
“It was only because of the hectic efforts of Wangnoo (HBOA Chairman) sahib who convinced the Tourism minister about the importance of the issue that the dockyard is becoming a reality after about six long decades of wait.”  
“We have already succeeded in important matters like dockyard, subsidized timber, grant of permission for repairs, hassle-free renewal of licences” the business fraternity adding that “subsidy on the interest was also granted.”
Some houseboat owners said the HBOA even got youth of poor families adjusted in government jobs. Besides, some youth were adjusted in the Middle East, they added.
“Given two decades of turmoil our business had suffered badly. But the government jobs and adjustment of youth in the Middle East provided some respite to the destitute families,” the houseboat owners hailed.
The problems concerning rehabilitation of dislocated families from Jehlum and Chinarbagh, were also taken up with the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir.    Similarly, the HBOA also pleaded the case of families living in the Dal Lake that they be “provided decent rehabilitation”. “Besides, two fire victims were rehabilitated.”
On the marketing front, the lake dwellers said, the achievements were remarkable. Leave apart road shows within and outside the country, the HBOA managed getting a documentary filmed by prestigious Film Division of India, exclusively on houseboats titled the Wooden Heroines of Kashmir while the same was screened across the globe in the potential markets.
Interestingly, they said, it all started in 2009 when Wangnoo was appointed as acting Chairman HBOA for 21 days. And there after he was unanimously approved to continue on the chair.
“That time leave apart other things our association office was in shambles but then the developments picked up and there was no looking back. And the results are obvious that most of us reaped a good business this summer.”
 The new HBOA elections are reportedly expected soon. As per a recent statement of the HBOA its General Meeting for “holding of elections, formulation of election commission and also to discuss other issues including accounts” will be held after the fasting month of Ramazan.
A HBOA spokesman said: “The meeting will Insha Allah be held in September. The time and venue will be announced separately.”

Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST