Sunday’s boat tragedy on the Godavari has brought into limelight the need for awareness on safety in the boating sector, particularly among tourists.
In the city, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) operates boat rides for tourists from the Fishing Harbour and at Rushikonda, both of which are in high demand.
However, safety does not seem to be on people’s minds as most of the tourists are seen not donning the mandatory life jackets that are given to them at the time of boarding. A boat capsize, as witnessed in Sunday’s incident near Rajamahendravaram, happens all of a sudden and passengers are caught unawares. In such an event, it would be too late to start donning the life jacket, say experts.
While operators try their best to enforce regulations, there is little that they can do if passengers themselves try to flout the rules. “We do not allow the tourists to board the ride without wearing jackets,” said a boat operator at the jetty. But in some cases, the tourists remove the life jackets soon after the boat leaves the jetty,” the operator added.
The APTDC is operating a single eight-seater speed boat from the Fishing Harbour. The ticket price for a ride is ₹200 per head. “We have 10 life jackets, eight for the passengers and one each for the lifeguard and the driver. The boat is operated from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. We get good crowds during public holidays and in the tourist season,” an operator said.
“When the waves are strong, we take the tourists on a small ride within the harbour area but when the sea is calm, we take them 3 km into the deep sea. They are informed of this before the ride,” he said.
High footfalls
“On an average, we get around 20,000 tourists a day for the boat ride at the Fishing Harbour. We are operating two speed boats and two jet skis at Rushikonda. We are getting around 25,000 tourists a day on an average for these boats. We provide life jackets and do not allow tourists to board the boat without wearing the jackets,” APTDC Divisional Manager Prasada Reddy said.
“We can get more tourists if the fleet strength goes up. In view of the high demand, we had placed an order for construction of a 59-seater boat. The boat should have been delivered by now but the supplier is delaying it,” he said.
Advice for tourists
Tourists too should exercise caution and be responsible while going on a boat ride, say operators. “Unlike APTDC, private operators do not restrict the number of passengers and sometimes also operate in choppy waters. In such situations, the onus is on the passengers to back out of such rides. They should only go for the ride once they are satisfied that all of the tourists have life jackets and the boat is not overloaded,” the operator said.