AP keen on starting joy rides on seaplanes

Visakhapatnam: SEAPLANE tourism appears to be set to finally take off in Andhra Pradesh with the government making serious efforts to introduce it from seven locations in the first phase to increase post-pandemic tourist footfall.

"We have conducted surveys and found that seaplane tourism will attract a lot of tourists to Andhra Pradesh. We are also in talks with the Centre and tourist operators to finalise a blueprint shortly," AP State Maritime Board CEO K. Muralidharan told Bizz Buzz. The issue also figured during a recent discussion on the Ports Authority Bill with the authorities of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways by State Industries Minister Mekapati Gowtham Reddy.

The government has identified Budagatlapalem, Chintapalli, Manchineela petta, Bheemili, Visakhapatnam, Rajayyapeta and Biyyapu Thipa as the locations to introduce the facility. After field inspections, detailed project reports for some of the locations have been completed. The DPR for modernisation of Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour at a cost of over Rs 100 crore is getting ready.

Floating jetty projects are being developed and existing facilities will be used for marine and seaplane operations. During the Telugu Desam regime, then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu entered into a partnership to introduce seaplane tourism with a big bang after test-driving a seaplane over Krishna Barrage. However, nothing materialised after that.

The new government headed by YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, which took a decision to take concrete steps to launch the project, already held several rounds of talks with the officials of Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Civil Aviation to work out the modalities. The total concentration over containing Covid-19 pandemic put some spokes in the efforts for introducing the ambitious project. "We are very keen to explore opportunities in port-led development and make use of the vast coastline in AP, the second largest in the country after Gujarat," Muralidharan said.

The Gujarat Government has already launched seaplane tourism over the Sabarmati riverfront. The governments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh along with the officials of Ministry of Tourism conducted a joint survey over Prakasam Barrage, Nagarjunasagar and Hussainsagar, Water aerodromes or seaplane base, open water is required for taking off and landing of seaplanes, floatplanes and amphibious aircraft.

Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao said they were acquiring m.v. Maa, a cargo vessel from Bangladesh which ran aground near a seafront park in the city, would be converted into a floating restaurant as part of tourism promotion.