The horrific boat accident in Krishna river in Vijayawada in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on Sunday has brought into sharp focus the need to reassess the compliance of safety norms governing the operation of boat rides at the famous tourist destinations of the undivided Khammam district.
As several popular tourist destinations dot both Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts, which are endowed with abundant water resources, the safe operation of boats assumes paramount significance to make the river cruise tourism more popular.
While the boat ride facility in the Kinnerasani reservoir in Palvancha mandal is being operated by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC), the rest of the boating facilities are being manned by the private persons under the aegis of Gram Panchayats concerned in the two districts. The operation of boat services by private persons at various tourist destinations, particularly at the scenic spots along the banks of the Godavari in undivided Khammam district, is marred by lack of adequate life jackets, safety awareness and capacity building programmes for the operators of the boats.
Thanks to the deployment of trained operators, the TSTDC’s boat ride facility has been enjoying good patronage from the tourists visiting the Kinnerasani dam situated in the wildlife sanctuary. Encouraged by good response from the tourists to the boat ride, the TSTDC has added a 50-seater boat to its existing fleet of a 35-seater boat and a six-seater mini-speed boat a couple of months ago.
In sharp contrast, the popular tourist destination of Palair reservoir is plagued with shortage of boats.
The members of a local youth group have been operating a single boat of five-seat capacity in Palair reservoir in Kusumanchi mandal for the past few years.
The authorities should introduce more boats in Palair reservoir by roping in the services of trained operators to meet the growing demand for boat ride services and ensure safety of the tourists, suggests K Srinivas Rao, a frequent visitor to the Palair reservoir.
The members of the local youth group of Palair were trained in power boat handling and first aid techniques at the National Institute of Water Sports in Goa over ten years ago, says Suman Chakravarthi, District Tourism Officer, Khammam.