Houseboat owners seek package

Houseboat owners of the Jhelum protested here on Thursday and urged the government to release a rehabilitation package for them.

Amid the Covid threat, a few Jhelum dwellers protested at the Press Enclave to redress their concerns. They were carrying placards that read, “Save houseboats from sinking”.

“For the past two years, there is no tourism and we have been left unemployed. We do not have money to repair our houseboats. On top of that dwellers of the houseboats that have been dismantled or the ones that drowned in September 2014 floods, are living in tents. Their condition is pathetic and we want justice and financial help. So far, we have not received any assistance from the government,” the convener of the Houseboat Owners Association of the Jhelum, Ghulam Qadir, told the media. — TNS