3 Houseboats gutted in Nigeen lake
Kashmir’s famed Welcome heritage Group Gurkha Houseboats Group last night lost three precious heritage houseboats in an inferno in Nigeen lake.
The fire started around 1 am from one houseboat and engulfed two adjoining houseboats. Shamim Shah, a close relation of the proprietors, said as he reached the place at 1.30 am, a houseboat was burning and abruptly the fire spread to the neighboring two houseboats. Locals said the Fire and Emergency Services Department failed to respond to the SOS calls of the proprietors.Shah told reporters that one of the burning houseboats was towed away into the centre of the lake— in a bid to save it and prevent further spread of the fire. “While the group’s other houseboats in the neighboring mooring sites were saved, the houseboat taken to the centre of the lake could not be saved despite best efforts by volunteers,” Shah added.
According to the management of the Welcome Heritage Gurkha Group of Houseboats, they have arranged immediate replacement of the three gutted houseboats till they rebuild the same. “We urge the authorities to grant us permission to rebuild the houseboats at the earliest,” the proprietors said.
The cause of the fire is attributed to short-circuit following gusty winds. The loss of precious houseboats, estimated at Rs 9 Crores, has been widely mourned by tourism and travel trade industry and other business people.
Earlier a month ago, one houseboat, belonging to another business group was turned in to ashes in a similar fire incident at the nearby mooring site.
