Government boat driver MD of company; tourism department officials under lens
VIJAYAWADA: The police on Monday registered a case under Section 304 II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against five members of the senior management of the River Boating and Adventure Partners Pvt Ltd, whose boat capsized in the Krishna on Sunday and took one of them into custody.Among the accused is one Gedala Srinu, an AP Tourism Department boat driver at Tada and one of the managing directors of the River Boating and Adventure Partners Pvt Ltd.
The Tourism Department, which is drawing flak for its laxity in regulating private players at various ghats, immediately sacked Srinu. All the other accused, Sesham Moda Kondala Rao, Neelam Sesha Giri Rao, Vinjamuri Vijaya Saradhi, and Chitti, are also reportedly working as managing directors of the River Boating company.
“We have formed teams to nab the accused. One of the owners Vinjamuri Vijaya Saradhi, has been taken into custody,” Krishna district Collector Lakshmikantham told TNIE.
The fact that a boat driver of the Tourism Department is a partner in the company has strengthened suspicions that higher officials of the department could well be the real owners. Some names, including those of serving officials, have already surfaced.
When contacted, Tourism Department managing director Himanshu Shukla told TNIE, “It is all a matter of investigation. The company has come to us in May this year in the name of River Boating and Adventures. Its managing director is Kondal Rao, and we signed an MoU with them. On paper, only his name was there and we told him to go ahead after procuring permission from the irrigation department.”
“Some three months back, I received information that there might be a possibility of some of our employees being partners in the company,” Shukla added.
He claimed to have taken action immediately and launched an investigation. “We have transferred Gedela Srinivasa Rao to Tada in Nellore and then manager of the Bhavani Island Kolli Sridhar to Kakinada. We have transferred them based on a little information.... now his name is officially out and we are investigating how he is operating all this when he is working in Tada. We came to know that the person is cheating and some more people are also involved in this. We will begin an enquiry and find out who all are involved. As Gedela Srinivasa Rao’s name has come out in the FIR, we have terminated his services. Soon, based on the enquiry, we will also take action against those who are involved. There are a few names that have come out, including people in higher positions. We will take action if they are found guilty,” he said.
Sources said a senior official of the APTDC in Vijayawada joined hands with Kolli Sridhar, Gedela Srinivasa Rao alias Srinu and another person to set up the company River Boating and Adventure Partners Ltd. But Express could not independently verify the information. Despite not having any permission from the irrigation department, the company has been organising water sports and offering boating services at the Punnami ghat. Other private boat operators have alleged that the official in question had been favouring the River Boating company in violation of rules. Express tried to contact the official but he was unavailable. Tourism Minister Akhila Priya, meanwhile, visited the Pavithra Sangamam, and vowed to take stringent action against erring boat operators. “The tourism department gave permission to the operator (River Boating) only for speed boats.
They brought the ill-fated boat just two days before the incident, thereby violating norms. Those responsible will be arrested,” she said.Vijayawada police commissioner Gautam Sawang also said severe action will be taken against those responsible for the death of 21 innocent people. Meanwhile, cops have launched a massive manhunt to nab the three boat staff - driver Suribabu, assistant driver Byrava Swami and helper Ramarao, who went missing after the incident. The bodies retrieved on Monday were identified as Katari Sudhakara Rao, Popuri Haritha, and Kosuri Rohit Roy. One more body is yet to be unidentified.