The Ports department, which launched a major drive earlier this week against houseboats flouting norms in Alappuzha, has so far seized five vessels.
The seized boats were shifted to a detention yard at Aryad. Of the five vessels, three were found operating without registration. While a houseboat was impounded for violating its area of operation, another one was seized for not displaying the registration number.
According to the Ports department, as many as 1,588 mechanically propelled boats, including houseboats, shikhara boats and speedboats, are registered with the Alappuzha Port Registry. However, the real numbers are manifold high.
