A risky ride to Papikondalu

​Rajamahendravaram: Boat and launch services are the lifeline of Papikondalu tourism. The picturesque Papikondalu attracts thousands of tourists from all over the country and abroad every year. The boat travel on the mighty Godavari River is risky as the operators are not strictly adhering to the safety norms. Normally, the boat ride to Papikondalu begins at Pattiseema at 10 am. The boat returns to the shore at 8 pm. Tourists travelling in a luxury boat had a close shave recently when it developed a hole at Gandi Pochamma temple in Devipatnam mandal recently.

The risk perception of a boat ride on the Godavari river came to the fore once again following the incident. The operation of boat and launch services to Papikondalu was suspended for some time. East Godavari Collector H Arun Kumar, who held a special meeting with the boat operators, asked them to strictly abide by the safety norms. He threatened to cancel the permits of boats and launches if the operators failed to ensure the safety of tourists.

As per the norms, twin engine boats need to be operated to the major tourist destination. Life jackets should be provided to tourists. The boat should also be equipped with a device to measure the depth of the river. Insurance cover for tourists is also part of the safety norms. After a lull for a while, boat operations to Papikondalu resumed. The operators pressed into service the same boats with a fresh coat of paint. However, the officials concerned failed to enforce the safety norms strictly, said a tourist.

According to official sources, 53 boats are being operated to Papikondalu. Out of the total fleet, only three boats are twin-engined. Hundreds of tourists visit Papikondalu everyday. The operators incur a loss of Rs 3 lakh a day if the boats are stopped. The loss will be as high as Rs 12 lakh a day due to stoppage of boat operations during the season. The officials concerned have turned a blind eye to plying of ill-equipped boats which put the lives of tourists at risk. Hundreds of workers will be rendered jobless if boat operations are stopped.

Though there is a demand for operation of a large boat by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) to Papikondalu to ensure the safety of tourists, no steps have been taken in this regard. Overloading of boats by operators makes the ride on the river more risky sometimes. The greediness of boat operators may hit the entire Papikondalu tourism if any untoward incident happens in the river during a ride. It is high time to ensure that all boat operators strictly adhere to the safety norms to boost Papikondalu tourism, another tourist said.

By M Seshu