Union Minister of State for Home, G. Kishan Reddy is taking measures to increase the efficiency of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and reduce the response time, should the need arise. He has decided to recommend the centre to allot choppers at the base camps of NDRF. He believes that if the NDRF and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have helicopters, the teams can rush to the disaster spot instantaneously and take up rescue operation immediately, reducing the toll.

READ I Andhra Pradesh: Boat capsizes in Godavari, rescue operation underway

Safety implementation 

This is in response to his enquiries about the boat accident in the Godavari river, in which 37 persons were killed and 14 went missing, on September 15. Reddy asked officials of the NDRF, SDRF, Navy, port, ONGC, Fire, Revenue, Irrigation and Police departments to give suggestions on how to prevent such accidents in future. He also enquired about the efforts being made to retrieve the boat from the river.

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Corrective Measures

After the terrible tragedy, East Godavari Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy, SP Adnan Nayeem Asmi, Coast Guard Commandant Raj Kamal, NDRF 10th Battalion Commandant Zahid Khan, Eluru Range DIG A.S. Khan and other officials gave a presentation on the tragedy and the rescue and relief operations post the incident. 

Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had instructed the officials to set up a special committee to investigate the accident. They were instructed to take corrective measures and look into all aspects of the boat mishap. Jagan Mohan Reddy also conducted an aerial survey of the Godavari where the boat capsized and visited a government hospital where he met with the survivors and assured them that all help will be provided. Expressing unhappiness over the way the licences were allotted for private boats for ferrying tourists, Reddy enquired about the incident and rescue operations being carried out. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh had also announced ₹10 lakh as ex gratia to the families of the victims who died in the Godavari boat tragedy.

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Boat Capsized

In a shocking incident in Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, several people drowned when a tourist boat capsized in the Godavari river on September 15. A total of 61 people were on-board at the time of the incident. 

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