Andhra Pradesh CM inaugurates 9 control rooms for tourist places

Taking note of the recent boat accident in the Godavari river, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated nine control rooms in six districts for regulating boating operations in tourist places in the state. The control room will be manned by trained personnel and will keep a track of the movement of the boats, check its fitness and the steps to be taken in case of any untoward incident.

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday inaugurated nine control rooms in six districts for regulating boating operations in tourist places in the state. He also directed officials to frame a new tourism policy as the current one expired on March 31.

"The standard operating procedure (SoP) has been circulated to all the control rooms which they should strictly follow," an official statement quoted the Chief Minister as saying after the inauguration through an online mode.

After the recent boat accident in the Godavari river, the government has considered the issue seriously and has taken effective steps by setting up nine control rooms where boats are being operated, he said.

Of the nine control rooms, three are set up in West Godavari district at Singapalli, Perantalapalli and Pochavaram, two in East Godavari at Gandi Pochamma and Rajahmundry, while the others are at Rishikonda (Visakhapatnam), Nagarjuna Sagar (Guntur), Srisailam (Kurnool) and Berm Parm (Vijayawada).

The government said the control room will be manned by trained personnel and will keep a track of the movement of the boats, check its fitness and the steps to be taken in case of any untoward incident.

"The concept of control rooms fully equipped with men and material must be the first of its kind in the country," the statement said.

The control rooms will have a ticket counter, online service, public address system, wireless communication system, a mechanism to avert mishaps, availability of expert divers and the like.

The government said it has purchased special equipment for safety and communication while safety kits will be available in the boat itself, in case of any mishap.

The equipment includes lifeguards, life jackets, public address system, fire extinguishers, online advice, first aid, breath analysers besides patrol boats and rescue boats.

The government further said it has come out with operational guidelines for boating operations.

As a result, all boats operating in rivers should be registered with the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Tourism Department.

Later in a review meeting with the Tourism Department, the Chief Minister instructed officials to prepare a new Tourism policy to attract tourists and identify 12 places where facilities should match those of seven-star hotels.

"The details of our tourist places and resorts should be given to big companies and take their suggestions before drafting a new policy," he said.

He stressed on the regulation of the tourism sector and framing guidelines in such a way to attract big industries for sponsorship.

Also, he stressed on the review of Shilparamam tourist centres at various places. Ministers Avanti Srinivas and Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and other officials attended the meeting.

(PTI report)