Rajahmundry: It has been fifteen days but the scars left by the private tourist boat accident in the Godavari are still evident. Out of the 77 persons on board, 26 persons were saved, 36 bodies retrieved and 15 people are still missing who are speculated to have stuck in the sunk boat. To hasten up the search operation to trace remaining bodies, the state government has taken the help of a Kakinada-based company Balaji Marines which would retrieve the private tourist boat ‘Royal Vasishta Punnami’.
Dharmadi Satyam and his team have started the operation with all the necessary equipment. Devipatnam police are deployed in Kachuluru for supporting the rescue team and to clear the area. They have also imposed Section 144 in the villages around the area. About 25 fishermen and experts led by Dharmadi Satyam are participating in the retrieving process with the help of a crane, proclainer, 800-meter wire, two anchors, three Leyland ropes, ten jockeys and other equipment. Dharmadi Satyam explained that the boat was 210 feet below the river bed and that no one could go there. He also said the boat was stuck in the sand which is making the extraction process even tough. Reports stated that the Andhra Pradesh government has sanctioned about Rs 22.7 lakh for the salvage operations and the government will release the amount to Balaji Marines.
