The boat services to the Papikonda hill range have been suspended to avoid any untoward incidents owing to unfavourable weather conditions, and inflows into the Godavari owing to monsoon rains.
All the boat services being operated by the AP State Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) and private operators have been stopped from June 27 on the waterway between the mainland and the Papikonda hill ranges.
Since the 2019 Kutchuluru boat capsize in the erstwhile East Godavari district in which 46 people were killed, the tourist boats are mandated to ply through the navigational route recommended by the Irrigation Department.
“All the boats, including the private operators, have been directed to suspend the services to the Papikonda hills from June 27. Until normalcy prevails and there is complete respite from the monsoon rains, the boat services will remain suspended,” APTDC assistant manager R. Gangababu told The Hindu.
The APTDC’s Haritha and Sir Arthur Cotton boat services and 11 private boats are operated on this route.
The officials also appealed to tourists not to hire any private boats to reach the Papikonda hill range until further orders.
