Vijayawada: Tourist boat operators have called on the state government to provide a permanent boating spot in the Polavaram project area to benefit visitors so that they can visit the project, local temples and cruise the Godavari River to the popular tourist destination Papikondalu.
Polavaram Project Works is being carried out at a fast pace. Given its multifaceted benefits, such as providing drinking water, irrigation and generating hydroelectric power, visitors are curious about the glimpse of the project location.
When Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu recently visited the Polavaram project to check the progress of the project, the shipping operator met with him and submitted a representative to seek permanent boating points in the project area given the huge tourism potential. CM asked Minister of Water Resources Nimmala Ramanaidu to handle the matter.
Boat operators worry that rowing points have been changing frequently everywhere, such as from Pattiseema to Polavaram to Singanahalli to Gandi Pochamma. This caused confusion among tourists, as they could board the boat from there to visit Papikondalu.
The boat operator insists that if the boating point is located in the Polavaram project area, it will visit Pattiseema Temple, Mahanandeswara Swamy Temple and Papikondalu to benefit visitors.
A large number of tourists from parts of AP and Telangana mainly visit Papikondalu during the festival, starting from Dasara Holidays in October and until the Sankranti Festival in January. However, the boating point does not have proper amenities such as the ghats, restrooms and other amenities. It’s frustrating for tourists. For example, in 2008-09, there were 24 ships from Pattiseema or Gandi Pochamma to Papikondalu. Now, only 15 ships are operating. The number of visitors to the area used to be one hundred thousand per year. Now, it’s about 50,000.
By comparison, nearly 20 ships are running from Pochavaram to Papikondalu, up to 6-7. Visitors and pilgrims visiting the Temple of Badracharam arrive at Pochavaram and arrive at Papikondalu by boat on the Godavari River. From the early 30,000, the number of tourists here has reached nearly 150,000.
The boat operator said that once the Polavaram project is completed and the water storage reaches 41.15 meters to 45.72 meters, visitors can board the boat from Coonavaram itself instead of traveling 70 kilometers to reach Pochavaram and then take the cruise to Papikondalu. Once the project has plenty of water, a tourist boat can be carried out from Gandi Pochamma to pochavaram and vice versa so that tourists can enjoy the joy on the Godavari River.
“As a large number of tourists want to visit the Polavaram project, Papikondalu and Semples and enjoy the affluent beauty of nature by the river, we call on the government to provide a permanent boating spot in the Polavaram project, so tourism can thrive for the government and promote the government’s revenue,” said GVVSN Murali Krishna, a tourist boat operator.
By the way, the ship operator pays Rs 100 per head to the tourism authorities. In addition, they pay a green tax of Rs 1,350 and a large ship of Rs 2,200 for each small boat. The operator charges children of adults of Rs 800 for cruises on the river, including breakfast, lunch and snacks, except for road trips of Rs 250 per person.
