The Dal Lake without houseboats
The Lakes And Waterways Authority -- prompted by the J&K High Court, which has been taking a keen interest in the preservation of the Dal Lake - took the decision to remove the houseboats.
'The discharge of effluents directly into the lake by these houseboats was one of the major reasons for the degradation of the lake that has come to the brink of extinction in recent years,' the authorities say.
Thousands of Kashmiris, who depend on the majestic floating hotels for their livelihood, are livid.
Photograph: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images