THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After five days of herculean efforts, KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation) has managed to lift the submerged Flotilla -- the floating restaurant at Veli -- which was recently renovated for Rs 75 lakh. There has been severe criticism from all quarters following the sinking of the floating restaurant. With pressure mounting, KTDC has constituted a three-member committee including a technical expert to probe and find out the reason that caused the submergence of the floating restaurant which was launched 13 years ago. According to KTDC MD Krishna Theja, Flotilla is intact and a fitness and safety certification will be taken before the reopening of the restaurant.
“We managed to lift the restaurant within five days. As of now, no major repair will be required as the Flotilla is intact. The only cost required would be for the labour and the motor hired for pumping out water. More screening will be carried out on the hull of the floating restaurant to find if there is anymore damage,” said Krishna. He said that this is the second time the Flotilla has submerged.
The initial attempt of the KTDC to lift the restaurant with the help of a private agency failed and they had to bring the agency that had renovated the restaurant. “Earlier during Cyclone Ockhi, the floating restaurant had submerged and was lifted only after two months. We have constituted a special committee to look into the submergence. We will be checking CCTV footages to rule out the possibility of any other suspicious activities by anti-socials,” said Krishna. He said that KTDC is planning to complete the repair work within 10 days. According to sources, negligence from the part of the restaurant crew led to the mishap.
“Owing to the lockdown, nobody bothered to check the restaurant. If they had found the leaks and plugged it on time this could have been avoided,” said a source. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing debate regarding the location of the restaurant. According to some, the restaurant sank due to its unscientific location.