KARIMNAGAR: Senior TRS leader and former MLA Gangula Kamalakar skidded twice and fell into the water while getting down from a speedboat at the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) on Saturday.
Kamalakar was in the process of inspecting the newly-introduced boats in the reservoir when he lost balance and fell into the water. However, as the water was not that deep and he was wearing a life jacket at the time, he was able to stand up by himself and escape soon.
As part of the State’s tourism development, the government had purchased two speedboats at the LMD, an initiative that Kamalakar, along with MP B Vinod Kumar, was scheduled to inaugurate.
But with the election code in force and strong objection from Congress leaders, Kamalakar had refrained from attending the programme.
Following this, however, he had taken it upon himself to inspect the performance of the speedboat, for which he had arrived at LMD on Saturday, official sources said. “The leader skidded and lost his balance. Such accidents are common when one attempts boat riding,” said J Anand, boating instructor at LMD. “Hence it is necessary to wear a life jacket when boarding a boat,” he added.