Papikondalu Cruise: Papikondalu River Cruise Resumes After Twenty Day Suspension

Papikondalu Cruise: Tourist boat services to the scenic Papikondalu region have officially resumed after remaining suspended for nearly 20 days. Authorities granted permission for operations to restart on Saturday after completing safety inspections of the vessels.

A total of 15 private tourist boats and one Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation boat have been cleared to operate from Gandiposamma Temple in Devipatnam mandal of Polavaram district. Officials said all necessary approvals were issued after verifying safety standards.

The suspension was imposed following a technical fault in a tourist boat that had departed from Poshammagandi on June 14. The vessel developed mechanical problems near the Devipatnam Police Station limits while cruising on the Godavari River. Although the incident did not result in any major mishap, authorities temporarily halted all tourism activities as a precautionary measure.

During the suspension period, officials conducted detailed inspections of the tourist boats to ensure passenger safety. Rampachodavaram Revenue Divisional Officer Swathi and Joint Collector Prashanth Kumar reviewed the vessels before recommending the resumption of services.

Water Resources Department Assistant Engineer Bhaskar confirmed that all required permissions have now been issued, allowing tourists to once again enjoy the popular Papikondalu river cruise.