Andhra to constitute committee to regulate boats, says CM Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said the government will constitute a committee to control and regulate boats.

The Chief Minister's made this announcement in the Assembly while making a statement regarding a boat capsize incident in the state on Sunday.

"In order to prevent such incidents in future, will constitute a committee with one IAS, one IPS and other officials," Naidu said, and also announced to pay an ex-gratia up to Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the victims.

Naidu informed the House that "as of now 20 bodies have been taken out and 21 of the injured are admitted in hospital. Seventeen injured have been discharged and remaining are being treated".

The Chief Minister further said that the capsized boat had no permission.

"The criminal case has been filed against the boat operators and three boat employees are missing," Naidu informed the House.

Briefing the House about the incident, Naidu said, "Tourism department's boat refused to carry passengers as time was over, so people boarded on a price boat that lead to mishap. The boat shaken due to jerks while nearing the shore. The driver attempted to balance, but in vein. All tourists came to one side that caused imbalance. Then boat overturned and capsized."

The Chief Minister also said that the boat's course made it clear that the driver had no proper idea of the route.

The mishap is purely the result of operator's irresponsibility.

The Chief Minister also said the relief and rescue operations were started immediately after the accident.

"Ministers Chinarajappa, Kamineni Srinivas, and Akhilapriya rushed to the spot and plunged into action on war footage," Naidu said.

As many as 41 people, including the boat driver, were in the boat at the time of the incident. Thirty-two of the victims belonging to Ongole town were on a picnic tour.

The boat capsized at Krishna River in Ibrahimpatnam mandal, Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

The bodies were handed over to the victims' families after postmortem.

A survivor had alleged that the boat operator was trying to let in more passengers, which made the boat overloaded.