VIJAYAWADA: The boat retrieval operation being carried out by Hyderabad-based Bekem Infra Projects and private rescuers from Kakinada came to a halt with their efforts failed to bring the boat ashore on Saturday.
The team of Abbulu, which earlier worked with Dharmadi Satyam’s firm Balaji Marines in retrieving the Royal Vasishta boat from the River Godavari near Kachuluru in Devipatnam in 2019 after it capsized, arrived on Friday, and was able to untangle and move one of the boats a bit away from the Prakasam Barrage gate.
However, the team could not pull the boat towards the Durga ghat due to its heavy weight and filled with water after it sank.
“The weight of the boat and the new problem of water in it is proving hard to bring it back to the shore. We tried to pull the boat with a rope, and pull-back method using the crane, but in vain. Also, the underwater diving team was unable to cut the boat into parts as the metal is hard and divers could not withstand as the water is being released downstream,” said rescue operation head Abbulu.
It may be recalled that the counterweight of Gate No 69 of Prakasam Barrage broke when four boats, of which three are metal made, from an unknown place upstream of Krishna drifted towards the barrage and rammed into it on the night of September 1.
Due to the impact, the counterweight broke, causing concern over the safety of the barrage. Later, the boats struck the barrage gates and became a herculean task to remove them.
Speaking to TNIE, Abbulu said the rescue operation team is finding it tough to either remove or release them individually as the two boats tangled together and struck the barrage gate.
However, diver teams and Abbulu team are mulling to cut the two boats and use the same pull-back method used on Friday.
“All the methods implemented so far did not yield a positive result. A meeting with the irrigation department officials will be convened on Sunday, and we will try another method to bring all the boats to the shore without damaging the barrage structure,” Abbulu explained.