Three days after the accident that killed 21 tourists at the Pavitra Sangamam, seven persons including a crew member and an APTDC employee had been arrested on charges of culpable homicide under Section 304(II) of the IPC.
Seven other employees of the APTDC including an Assistant General Manager G. Ramakrishna, Divisional Manager B.V.L. Gangaraju, Assistant Manager Kolli Sridhar, contract swimmer P. Veerareddy and drivers Narasimha Rao, K. Chamcham Raju and T. Srinivasa Rao, who were suspended by Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhila Priya on Wednesday, would also be booked for culpable homicide or criminal negligence after thorough investigation.
The arrested including prime accused Sesham Moda Kondala Rao, Neelam Seshagirirao, Machavarapu Manoj Kumar, Vinjamuri Vijaya Saradhi, APTDC boat driver Gedela Srinu and his wife Lakshmi and boat crew member Karri Bhairava Swamy were produced before the media here on Wednesday.
Lakshmi, Sridhar and Veera Reddy, who was recently transferred from Bhavani Island, had invested ₹31.5 lakh, almost half the invested amount so far into the River Boating and Adventures company which took its birth at the government’s Partnership Summit held in Visakhapatnam in January. The firm signed an MoU with the Tourism department.
While Sridhar invested only ₹7.5 lakh through his father, Srinu, the driver, managed to invest ₹20 lakh in his wife’s name. Commissioner of Police D. Gautam Sawang said the partners had invested ₹74.5 lakh of the target ₹1.5 crore so far and bought the required equipment and inventory. The doomed boat was purchased in Visakhapatnam, retrofitted in Kakinada and given the final shape at the Punnami Ghat, he said.
Driver doesn’t know how to navigate
“The boat has permission to ply passengers only between the Punnami Ghat and Venkatayapalem village but the accused started operating it to other points.
Even after being opposed by an APTDC staff, Seshagiri Rao and Vijaya Saradhi managed to make a trial run in the morning and started its maiden trip at 4 p.m. with 41 passengers and three crew members on board.
At about 5.15 p.m., it capsized due to ripples at the confluence point and the inexperienced boat driver Suribabu does not even know how to navigate the boat and the route,” Mr. Sawang said.
Mr. Sawang said action would be taken against all the persons involved in the illegal boat ride and the ones who supported the firm. “Criminal action will be taken against the staff involved. We will investigate their roles and find if it was negligence or collusion with the firm owners. The video which is being circulated will also be taken into consideration,” Mr. Sawang said.
