Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) will conduct a test run of a passenger boat service on the Godavari River between Singanapalli and Papikonda on April 15th.
Shipping to the Papikonda mountain range ceased in 2019 after a private boat capsized in Kachuluru in Devipatnam Mandal in East Godavari district, killing 46 passengers from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
APTDC division chief (East and West Godavari Districts) Thota Veera Narayana said The Hindu that the Haritha boat service will be carried out on a trial basis on April 15th between the Singanapalli boat point in West Godavari and the Papikonda mountain range in order to evaluate the possibilities and to examine the boat technically.
“If the trial run is successful, commercial service will resume with immediate effect and two boats – Haritha and Sir Arthur Cotton – will be used for tourist activities as part of Papikonda Mountain Tourism,” said Veera Narayana.
“Each of the two APTDC boats has a capacity of 90 seats. However, the test run will only be carried out with 60 passengers, ”he added.
The Port Ministry has issued the necessary technical permits for the operation of the boats on the Godavari in accordance with the new guidelines established for boat services in all tourist locations after the incident in Kachuluru.