The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Hike in fuel prices hits ferry operations

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Tuesday, Feb 19, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Hike in fuel prices hits ferry operations

Staff Reporter

Thousands of people travel by launches daily

Photo: G. N. Rao

Safe transport: A launch ready to leave Kunavaram ferry point on Monday. —

KUNAVARRAM (KHAMMAM DT): Ferry operations across Godavari have become costlier with hike in prices of fuels. The ferry operators find it difficult to meet the extra cost on their own as the people are strongly opposing the move to hike the charges.

Thousands of people from the river side villages take to the launches daily for travelling from one point to the other, particularly to the places which still remained inaccessible by road. The launches are the only safe mode of transport across the river. Over 400 people cross the river daily from the Kunavaram ferry point. A majority of them are bound for places such as Velerpadu and Koida and other river side villages in Palvancha mandal. Only one launch has officially been operating from the ferry point. Many people bound for far off destinations in Palvancha division prefer the short cut route even if it involved trekking for a two km distance on the sand dunes in the river bed. Otherwise they have to travel by bus for nearly 130 kms.

“We have already been paying Rs 10 per head to ferry operators. Some of us travel by the launches three times a day and charges were already prohibitive,” says DWCRA member Seethamma from Velerpadu. The ferry operators had hiked the charges almost four times in the past two years, she complained.

The ferry operators, however, had their quote of woes for keeping the launches sailing in Godavari River. Mallikarjuna Rao, in-charge of operations from the Kunavaram ferry point, said his master had taken the rights for operating the launches from the ferry point paying Rs 6.51 lakhs this year against Rs 3.5 lakhs last year.

“The 31 hosre power launch engine has been consuming at least 40 litres of diesel for making 10 rounds a day. It is highly difficult to meet the cost of operations without hiking the charges. Otherwise we should cut on the cost of operations by reducing the number of trips across the river,” he said.

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