VIJAYAWADA: The flooding in Krishna river for the sixth consecutive day has hit the tourism sector hard. Bhavani Island, one of the most prominent tourist hub of the State, is submerged under four-five feet of floodwater.
The spot on the river near Prakasam Barrage has remained shut for tourists for about a week as the authorities have stopped ferrying of boats from Punnami Ghat. “Almost all the rooms at resorts in Bhavani Island were booked almost a fortnight ago in view of the long weekend followed by the Independence Day. We refunded the entire amount to our customers as they had to be vacated during the middle of their stay,” manager Sudheer Babu said.
“All the 25 rooms were booked for the past one week. The guests were shifted to the rooms in Berm Park on the first and second day of the flooding. Later, they were asked to leave as floodwater entered the park as well,” Babu added.
NDRF teams extended help to evacuate tourists staying at these resorts on Monday, following the instructions of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority CEO Praveen Kumar.
Though the staff had shifted a few items, such as projectors, sound system and musical fountain, from the island, laser show equipment, electric poles, kitchen tools, generators, benches, games for kids and others were all under floodwater. Expressing concern, Babu added: “We have estimated a loss of `15 lakh (approx) as on last Monday. It has been five days since we had last accessed the island. The situation must have further worsened.”
APTDC executive director G Uma Maheswara Rao assured that once the situation was under control, the restoration work would be taken up immediately. “We will take up all possible measures to repair the damage caused by floods as Dasara holidays are around the corner. We hope that the flood recedes soon,” he said.