Motorboats break frozen ice sheets in Kashmir's Dal Lake

Srinagar, Jan 21 (ANI): In a bid to sustain the tourism, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday deployed motorboats to break the frozen sheets of ice on the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar city.

The thick layer of ice on the surface of the lake is making it difficult for the dwellers to wade through the water body.

"Houseboats were not able to make movements, especially, ferrying tourists from one place to another. We tried helping them by carving out ways by riding motorboats with force in the frozen lake. Now, this will enable them to commute and get essential commodities for them," Geelani Wani, Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Dal Lake is one of the important tourist destinations and houseboats form the major attraction.

It is due to the dip in the mercury that the water bodies have by and large frozen and the houseboat owners are facing the brunt, as they are not able to ferry the tourists in the famous 'Shikaras'.

Several houseboat owners were in distress due to decrease in tourist footfall.

Abdul Razaq, a houseboat owner, appreciated this initiative of state authorities.

"They have done a great favour to us by deploying motorboats. This has made very convenient for us to commute. Each 'Shikara' costs up to one lakh to 1.5 lakh rupees and we incur huge losses if there is no way to commute," Razaq said.

The Himalayan region continued to witness intense cold and the temperature plummeted to subzero levels in Srinagar city.

The city that witnessed heavy influx of tourists few days back, at present has transformed into a deserted land as their number dwindled due to heavy snowfall. (ANI)