VIJAYAWADA: If the plans of the State government materialize, Bangladeshi cargo vessel MV Maa, which drifted from its anchorage point and ran aground near Tenneti Park in Visakhapatnam due to the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal in the second week of October, is likely to be converted into a restaurant. It will be an added attraction to Vizag beach, which already has aircraft and submarine museums.
The place where the vessel ran aground, has become an instant tourism spot with locals in large numbers visiting it even as operations to salvage it are going on. On Tuesday, Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao said the government has proposed to take over the vessel and convert it into a restaurant. “Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is optimistic that the proposal will materialize. We will proceed with a plan to get the project after holding talks with the chairman of Ports Authority. It will be a good addition to the already existing aircraft and submarine museums in Vizag,” he said.
A decommissioned submarine INS Kursura and Indian Navy’s TU 142 Aircraft have already been converted into museums in Vizag. On other plans of the Tourism Department, he said Visakhapatnam has been added to the route of the proposed seaplane project. “The previous government had proposed to operate a seaplane from Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada to Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad. Adding Vizag to the proposed seaplane route will make the project more viable,” he said.
Meanwhile, boating activities have resumed in Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts and at Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam. However, the boat operations to Papikondalu are yet to resume due to high water level in River Godavari. “The boating activities at Bhavani Island will resume after November 10 as all the crest gates of Prakasam Barrage are expected to be closed by then,” he said, addressing the media after attending a review meeting held by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on tourism and sports activities in the State.
The Tourism Department has a total of 195 (less than 12-seater) and 112 (more than 12-seater) boats and of which 56 and 60 respectively have received licenses and permission for operation. “We have directed the officials to invite proposals under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in case the buying of boats is expensive. Private boat operators will also be encouraged if they fulfil all the guidelines prescribed by the Maritime Department,” he said. Proposals have also been made to start boating activities at Antarvedi and Hamsaladeevi, which are the river confluence points. Tourism will also be promoted at Suryalanka and Bhimili beaches.“A 33 km long stretch from RK Beach to Bhimili beach will be developed with Rs 100 crore sanctioned by the World Bank, he said.
With respect to hotels, he said the Tourism Department has 38 resorts and restaurants. “As tourism activities came to a halt due to lockdown, we allowed the resorts to be used as Covid Care Centres. We supply food to Covid Care Centres. In the process, we earned Rs 22.5 crore income,” he said
The Youth Services Department has taken up online yoga training, which attracted 1,000 participants from 13 districts of the State. The yoga lessons are uploaded on YouTube. In terms of sports, he said a stadium will be inaugurated in Prakasam district on Wednesday. Athletics, archery, badminton, cycling, fencing, table tennis, tennis, swimming and weight lifting activities will resume in the State from Wednesday.
On development of Shilparamams, he said Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned for renovation of the existing ones. For the first time, the YSR Sports School in Kadapa has been selected as a centre of excellence under the Khelo India Programme for Development of Sports.