Can’t read, but swimming expert guides Navy divers in tracing Royal Vasishta

KACCHULURU (EAST GODAVARI): Where is Royal Vasishta? Indian Navy’s scuba divers are searching the Godavari in a desperate bid to locate the ill-fated tourist boat that capsized on Sunday.
And to help in the mission, the navy team has engaged a swimming expert, G Venkata Siva, a native of Kovvur in West Goadavari district. Siva looks 50 years old, is an illiterate but knows the depths of the Godavari and the quirks of the dangerous waves and currents.
It was initially, Rajahmundry police that brought Siva on to the accident spot to help the Navy’s divers in identifying the boat. It was Rampachodavaram assistant superintendent of police Vakul Jindal who suggested that Siva can go along with the Navy team to zero in on the location of the boat in the river.
Siva, who won the Union government’s bravery award in 2005, said he has succeeded in locating boats during the deluge in Varanasi in 2001 and Repalle passenger train which had fallen in to a river in 2005.
Siva told TOI that that can swim 100 feet deep in to any water body without oxygen mask.
Siva is used to swimming in the Godavari since his childhood. He also grazes cattle on the banks of the Godavari and says he can figure out conditions of the water movement, depth, etc.
Siva said he has identified an oil spill near the accident spot. He said the boat could be stuck about 500 meters radius of where the oil spill has been seen. He fears the missing persons could be stuck with the boat.