Tourism Boat Operators Seek Permanent Jetty in Polavaram Project Area
Boat operators are concerned that the boating point has been changing frequently from place to place, like from Pattiseema to Polavaram to Singanahalli and to Gandi Pochamma. This is causing confusion among tourists as to from where they can board their boat to visit Papikondalu.
Vijayawada: Tourism boat operators have appealed to the state government to provide a permanent boating point in Polavaram project area for the benefit of tourists, so that they can visit the project, local temples and take a cruise on Godavari River to the popular tourist destination Papikondalu.
Polavaram project works are going on at a brisk pace. Tourists are curious about taking a glimpse of the project site, given its multifaceted benefits like providing drinking water, irrigation and generation of hydro-electric power.
When Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu visited the Polavaram project recently to inspect the progress of works, boat operators met him and submitted a representation seeking a permanent boating point in the project area, given the huge tourism potential. The CM asked Water Resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu to deal with the matter.
Boat operators are concerned that the boating point has been changing frequently from place to place, like from Pattiseema to Polavaram to Singanahalli and to Gandi Pochamma. This is causing confusion among tourists as to from where they can board their boat to visit Papikondalu.
Boat operators maintain that if the boating point is in the Polavaram project area, it will benefit tourists with visits to Pattiseema Temple, Mahanandeswara Swamy Temple and Papikondalu.
A large number of tourists from parts of AP and Telangana visit Papikondalu mainly during the festive season, beginning from Dasara holidays in October up to Sankranti festival in January. But there are no proper amenities at the boating points, like ghats, washrooms and other amenities. This is discouraging tourists. For example, there used to be 24 boats operating to Papikondalu from Pattiseema or Gandi Pochamma in 2008–09. Now, only 15 boats are operating. The number of tourists visiting the area used to be one lakh per annum earlier. Now, it is about 50,000.
In contrast, nearly 20 boats are operating, up from just 6–7, from Pochavaram to Papikondalu. Tourists and pilgrims, who visit Bhadrachalam Temple, reach Pochavaram and take the cruise on Godavari River to reach Papikondalu. The number of tourists here have gone up to nearly 1.50 lakh from earlier 30,000.
Boat operators say once Polavaram project is completed and water storage reaches 41.15 metres to 45.72 metres, tourists can board the boats from Coonavaram itself, instead of travelling 70 km to reach Pochavaram and then take the cruise to Papikondalu. Once the project has a huge quantity of water, tourism boats can be operated from Gandi Pochamma to Pochavaram and vice versa, so that tourists can take a joy ride on Godavari River.
Tourism boat operator G.V.V.S.N. Murali Krishna said, “As a huge number of tourists want to visit Polavaram project, Papikondalu and temples, and enjoy the nature’s bounteous beauty alongside the river, we appeal to the government to provide a permanent boating point in Polavaram project area, so that tourism can thrive and generate revenue for the government.”
Incidentally, boat operators pay Rs 100 as user charges per head to tourism authorities. In addition, they pay a green tax of Rs 1,350 per small boat and Rs 2,200 for a big boat. The operators charge an adult Rs 1,000 and child Rs 800 for the cruise over the river, inclusive of breakfast, lunch and snacks, apart from Rs 250 per head for road travel.
