ALAPPUZHA: In a bid to curb illegal operations of houseboats on the Vembanad backwaters, the ports department has intensified crackdown based on an interim order issued by the Kerala High Court on January 20.
The court directed that all houseboats plying on the Vembanad Lake must be produced for inspection before the Kerala Maritime Board within a month and must obtain a pollution prevention certificate under Section 53(2) of the Inland Vessels Act, 2021. Boats failing to comply with these requirements would not be given permission for operations.
To create awareness and discuss the court directive, the registering authority has decided to convene a meeting of houseboat owners and representatives of their organisations at the Alappuzha Port Office on March 17 at 11am. The move comes after many houseboats have been illegally operating, creating pollution in the lake and causing accidents.
According to port officials, many vessels have been running without registration, licence and other mandatory certificates. “We had served many notices, but were unable to curb the operations of these illegal boats,” said an official.
As part of a major enforcement drive last year, the department had confiscated over 50 vessels in Alappuzha due to violations such as operating without licence, registration or insurance. While most of the boats were later released after renewing the required documents, a few vessels remain at the detention yards.
Officials said that a total of 1,588 mechanically propelled boats -- including houseboats, shikhara boats and speedboats -- are currently registered with the Alappuzha Port Registry. However, the actual number of vessels operating on the backwaters is believed to be much higher. There are an estimated 1,500 houseboats alone that operate on the Alappuzha backwaters, and nearly half of them are suspected to be functioning without registration, licence or other mandatory certificates.
Currently, no new houseboat registrations have been issued in Alappuzha due to a government ban imposed several years ago following the rapid increase in the number of vessels on the backwaters. Officials added that owners of unregistered boats may apply for registration in other districts, while those with expired licences or certificates can seek renewal through the Alappuzha Port Registry.