VIJAYAWADA: The State government is planning to revive a seaplane plan shelved two years ago in an attempt to boost tourism. A technical team of the Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation Limited (APADCL) on Tuesday began studying the feasibility of a water airdrome on the banks of the Krishna in Vijayawada. If things go as per the plan, then a seaplane will take off from Prakasam Barrage for Nagarjuna Sagar, Papikondalu and Hussain Sagar, in near future. The previous government had proposed a similar project, and conducted tests in partnership with a private firm, Turbo Aviation. However, the project was a failure.
As the current dispensation believes that the state has the potential for seaplane tourism, the Tourism Department and Vijayawada Airport Authority, in December, took up the shelved project on a priority basis and identified four spots—Berm Park, Prakasam Barrage, Nagarjuna Sagar and Hussain Sagar—where water aerodromes were feasible.
Principal secretary (Infrastructure and Investment) R Karikal Valaven, accompanied by APADCL chief executive officer Nina Sarma and Krishna district collector A Md Imtiaz, on Tuesday conducted a ground-level inspection at Berm Park to study the possibilities of developing a water aerodrome in Krishna river. Imtiaz said the technical team was zeroing-in on a two-acre land near Tadepalli for the terminal.
“We are studying the possibilities of establishing a water aerodrome near Prakasam Barrage at an estimated cost of `50 crore sanctioned by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The State government has allotted `10 crore for improvements in basic amenities and infrastructural additions, such as jetty platforms, aviation control rooms and improved security terminals,” Nina Sarma said.
As Berm Park and Bhavani Island are developed tourist spots, they will come in handy for developing transport facilities to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, she observed.