KAKINADA: The committee, comprising officials from Port, Naval, Irrigation, Fisheries and other departments, constituted to look into the Kachaluru boat mishap, has decided to entrust the job of retrieving the capsized Royal Vasista to Kakinada-based Balaji Marines.
The tourist boat had capsized at Kachaluru in Devipatnam mandal on September 15.
District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy, speaking to reporters in the collectorate on Saturday, said continuous efforts were being made for rescue and relief operations.
Only 26 onboard survived; 36 bodies were traced so far.
Fifteen more were yet to be traced. He further said the committee has finalised an amount of Rs 22.70 lakhs to be paid to the agency for retrieving the boat.
The agency will utilize the services of one Gulla Venkata Siva from Pasivedala in West Godavari district and others, who voluntary came forward to help.
The collector said the NDRF, SDRF and ANS teams continued their search for the missing persons and that all the traced bodies were handed over to their relatives.
With regard to the issue of death certificates, the village secretary of Thunnuru in Devipatnam mandal has been directed to issue the document to the kin.
Meanwhile, the collector said there were some problems in sand supply due to floods in Godavari river. “As many as 22 reaches in the district have permission to operation till 2020. Proposed desiltation workers near Godavari barrage at Dowleswaram will yield 60 lakh MTs of sand,” he said.