AP puts brakes on Telangana Tourism dept ferry rides

AP puts brakes on Telangana Tourism dept ferry rides
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Highlights

Apathy of officials of State tourism department in getting required permissions has left the ferries anchored at Hill Colony downhill the launch station. 

Nagarjunasagar: Apathy of officials of State tourism department in getting required permissions has left the ferries anchored at Hill Colony downhill the launch station.

During the division of the united Andhra Pradesh, the truncated AP got the launch station which is located at Right Bank of Sagar project that falls under Guntur district.


Highlights:

  • AP Forest department officials ask their Telangana counterparts to get necessary permission to enter Krishna waters
  • Department officials making rounds to Vijayawada and Guntur for permission for the last three months
  • Feel that the issue will be addressed only with the intervention of higher officials and politicians

In view of this, Telangana government decided to establish its own launch station at Left Bank canal at Hill Colony.

As per the plan and by investing Rs 4 crore, the Telangana government through its tourism department had made available two modern ferries and launch station to make to and fro trips to Nagarjunakonda.

On August 3, 2016 Tourism Minister Chandulal, Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy along with officials concerned formally inaugurated the ferries.

Since then, the launch station officials allowed tourists for joy rides of about 8km on ferries with a ticket cost of Rs 50 until they got Central Archeology department’s permission.

Soon after getting the required permission from Centre, launch officials declared the dates for ferry trips to Nagarjunakonda and also priced the ticket cost for adults at Rs 120 and for children Rs100 per trip.

However on November 5, when the Tourism department’s ferry with more than 100 passengers reached Nagarjunakonda, the forest officials seized it alleging that it had no required permission from the forest department of AP to enter into Krishna waters.

The act of AP officials created rift between the two States and finally AP officials released the ferry on condition that Telangana tourism department would run ferries from Left Bank to Konda only after obtaining AP forest department’s permission.

Since then, the ferries of TSTDC lying idle at downhill launch station and awaiting an affirmative response from AP.

Speaking to The Hans India, few Telangana tourism department officials informed that they have been making rounds to Vijayawada and Guntur for the last three months to get the required permission, however there was no response from the respective officials .

Expressing his displeasure, one of the officials of the department opined that the issue would be addressed only with the intervention of top officials and politicians of Telangana.

Meanwhile, locals of Left Bank are expressing their anger over government’s mute-spectator attitude and demanding immediate redressal of the issue in the interest of tourists of Telangana.

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