Also referred to as the ‘Ganga of the South’, Godavari is India’s second longest river after the Ganga. And it was in this river that 6 students have gone missing.
Six students, all of them girls, were found missing after an overloaded country boat capsized in the Godavari river after ramming a concrete pillar at Pasuvullanka of I. Polavaram mandal in East Godavari on Saturday evening.
Following incessant rainfall and discharge of huge quantities of water from Sir Arthur Cotton barrage at Dowleswaram, the river was flowing swiftly. Nearly 35 persons, most of local school students, arrived boarded the boat at Saladivaripalem of Mummidivaram mandal to reach island villages like Pasuvullanka and others.
The driver lost control of the boat which rammed a concrete pillar. Some people including students jumped onto the concrete foundation of the pillar. This resulted in the boat tilting to one side and capsizing, and the rest of the passengers fell into the river.
As they started screaming for help, local villagers and workers involved in the construction of the bridge rescued more than 20 persons while some managed to swim to safety.
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Learning about the boat mishap, the East Godavari administration requisitioned four teams each of the National Disaster Relief Force and the SDRF, divers from Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam and personnel from Special Protection Force. The area where the boat mishap took place was illuminated and a close watch is kept for survivors.
East Godavari superintendent of police Vishal Gunni said, “Based on preliminary inquiry, about five persons are missing. We are yet to get details of how many persons were traveling in the boat when it met with the mishap and the number of survivors. There is a chance that the missing persons might be traced in case they were either rescued or swam to safety. We will take up rescue operation in the first light on Sunday involving divers from Navy to rescue any survivors in the mishap.”
Officials have identified the missing people as Ramya, Maneesha, Srija, Priya, Anusha and Suchitra — all students of the Government High School, Pasuvula Lanka.
Local residents alleged that the students had been “forced” to travel to Talarivaripalem Lanka across the river to participate in the Vanam-Manam (we and forest) programme initiated by the state government, despite Saturday being a holiday for the schools.
The country boat is learned to be unlicensed and its maximum carrying capacity was 12. Overloading was one of the major reasons for the mishap. The boat driver learned to be safe. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed concern and directed the authorities to take up the rescue operation. YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy immediate rescue and relief operation.
Even as a series of boat mishaps are happening in Godavari river, lack of supervision in the operation of especially ferries and country boats is resulting in such mishaps.
Local residents say that boats are the only mode of transport for people to travel from one island to another on the Godavari. Although the state government began constructing a bridge last year, the work is yet to be completed.
On May 16, as many as 20 people – mostly tribals – died in a similar boat accident on the Godavari near Mantoor village of Devipatnam block in the same district.
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