Boating is safe in Telangana: Tourism officials

Sunday’s boat tragedy on the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh has triggered concerns over the safety of boating facilities in Telangana as well.

Several tourists, who were planning to go for boating here, are raising doubts over the condition of the boats and are enquiring whether required safety measures are in place for tourists in various lakes in the State.

However, officials here have brushed aside all fears and said that all boats operated in the State were completely safe and adequate safety measures had been put in place by the Tourism Department.

“We do not allow any tourist to go for boating without wearing a life jacket. Moreover, if there are any floods and high currents, boat services are stopped till the situation returns to normal,” a senior Tourism official



said.

According to Telangana Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) officials, boating facilities were available in different places including at Nagarjuna Sagar, Hussain Sagar, Lower Manair Dam reservoir, Laknavaram Lake and Kadem reservoir.

There were around 70 boats which operate in various water bodies in the State. None of these were operated by private persons and all boats were operated only by the government, officials said.

TSTDC officials said every boat in the State was well-equipped with all safety norms and undergo regular checks. Meanwhile, the cruiser tour package services from Nagarjuna Sagar to Srisailam, which were launched two weeks ago, were stopped a couple of days ago as the gates of the Nagarjuna Sagar Project were lifted due to the rising water levels.