VIJAYAWADA: Boating services, which were stopped at Bhavani Island almost four months ago following the Royal Vasistha boat tragedy in East Godavari district and floods in River Krishna, are likely to resume from Sunday. They were supposed to begin from January 25, which incidentally happens to be the National Tourism Day, as the same was recently announced by Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao.
Speaking to TNIE, AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) divisional manager Ch Srinivas Rao said the boating services will be made operational from Sunday.
“The port authorities have cleared the decks for operation of five boats between Berm Park and Bhavani Island. One of them is a 10+2 seater, two 3+1 and two more of 1+1 capacity. It will take a while for the passenger boats to become functional as the navigation system and other specifications are yet to be installed in them. After that, requests for no-objection certificate will be made to the port authorities.”
“Maze garden and recreational equipment for kids are also ready. The resorts at the island have begun accepting online bookings. Bhavani Island was abandoned four months ago and our staff had a difficult time in clearing up the bushes and mud,” the official added.
Officials said the corporation lost a good amount of revenue as the Bhavani Island was closed. The APTDC generated a revenue of `3.45 lakh on last year’s Sankranti day alone. This year, it has missed out on peak seasons, including the holy month of Kartika during which ‘vanabhojanams’ are organised.
Meanwhile, tourists are unhappy over the unavailability of boating services even after four months. Upender Reddy from Hyderabad, who is visiting Vijayawada with his wife and two kids, wanted to spend a day by the river. “This is our first visit to Punnami Ghat and we planned for a boat ride to Bhavani Island, but we are disappointed to know that boating is yet to resume,’’ he said.