Vijayawada: On November 9, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will launch the trial run of the proposed seaplane service between Vijayawada and Srisailam from Punnami Ghat. De Havilland Aircraft designed and developed the 14-seater seaplane. If the experiment turns into a success, regular ferry services are expected to start in the waterway soon.
The launch will be under the aegis of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the State Airports Development Corporation and the State Tourism Development Corporation.
The jetty at Punnami Ghat on the Krishna River has been renovated for the purpose and provisional arrangements are afoot for the disembarkment of the passengers at Pathalaganga Boating Point in Srisailam.
Soon after taking office, the TDP government lined up a plethora of projects for the rejuvenation of the tourism and technology sectors. A national level drone summit, aimed at making the state a drone capital was hosted recently.
The idea of launching a seaplane service was mooted during the previous regime of the TDP government in 2014-19 after which the successor YSRCP government put the plan on the back burner.
The ferry service will come to the rescue of the devotees of Durga Malleswara Temple and Srisailam Mallanna Temple in Vijayawada.
Officials said complete details would be revealed after the experiment bears fruit. There are possibilities for experimenting in the second phase for setting up seaplane services in Visakhapatnam, Nagarjunasagar, Godavari and other areas.
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