The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department is set to construct a resort at Pitchuka Lanka, an island in the Godavari river, and home for blackbuck, in East Godavari district.
The Indian antelope (blackbuck – antilope cervicapra) thrives on the island near the Sir Arthur Cotton barrage and is facing a grave threat of poaching. In 2017, three blackbucks have been found killed on the island.
Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao announced that the Tourism Department was all set to construct a resort at a cost of ₹250 crore in public-private partnership (PPP) mode on the island as part of the State government’s new investor-friendly policy. On the tourism projects in Visakhapatnam, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said a new jetty was being constructed for tourism purposes in the port city.
Floating restaurant
Mr. Srinivasa Rao made the announcements on Sunday morning while inaugurating a floating restaurant on the Godavari at the Padmavathi ghat here. The 95-seat capacity restaurant has been developed at a cost of ₹70 lakh.
“We are exploring the possibility of running floating restaurants in other places too. The proposals for renovation and beautification of the Havelock bridge are being examined,” said Mr. Srinivasa Rao.
Local MP Margani Bharat appealed to the Minister to speed up the tourism projects in the city.
Boats flagged off
Earlier, the Tourism Minister flagged off the AP Tourism Development Corporation’s boats at Gandi Posamma point in Rampa agency. “The one-day boat trip begins at Gandi Posamma, covers Papikonda hill range and Perantalapalli and concludes by evening. Now, the boat services are under the watch of the new safety monitoring system,” said Mr. Srinivasa Rao.
