High Court keeps ban on engine-powered boats in Dal Lake and asks for a boating policy

31 October 2026

Motor boats, jet skis and motorised shikaras will stay off Dal Lake, as the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has kept its ban on every engine-powered boat there. A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Dr. Pushpendra Singh Bhati asked the Government to frame a comprehensive policy for boating on the lake. The policy must study a shift of boats, shikaras and jet skis to solar and electric energy. The Government must also give a roadmap with the number of boats, their engine specifications and how many are motorised. In its earlier order dated October 14, 2026, the court had stopped fuel-run boats to prevent further pollution of the lake. The earlier order had exempted emergency services and other administrative services.