Almost 30% of the tourist boats (motorboats, houseboats, shikaras and country boats) are operating without necessary permissions in Kerala. Though many boats have licenses, they overload passengers without ensuring safety.
Also, several jetties are not maintained and there is no proper dredging (removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of waterbodies) at regular intervals.
A cruise through the intricate web of rivers, lagoons, canals and lakes in Kerala is popular not just with international and domestic tourists, but also locals. Even as tourism department promotes these activities to attract tourists, it has little control over boats that operate for tourism purposes. They are not able to ensure quality and service.