The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced ₹10 lakh as ex gratia to the families of the victims who died in the Godavari boat tragedy. 'During the review meeting on boat tragedy, Reddy announced ₹10 lakh for deceased's families, Rs 3 lakh for the injured and Rs 1 lakh for survivors', a statement from the Chief Minister Office said.

Read| Andhra Pradesh: Boat capsizes in Godavari, rescue operation underway

Reddy instructs officials to take corrective measures

Reddy has instructed the officials to take corrective measures and set up a committee to look into all aspects of the boat mishap. The Chief Minister said that if necessary, the government should press Navy and other expert divers into service. 'The control room should be functional and all concerned departments should take steps to ensure the safety of tourists and their hassle-free navigation', he said. 

On Monday, Reddy 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. 

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Special committee to be set up

The Chief Minister has instructed the officials to set up a special committee to investigate the accident. Nine bodies have been retrieved so far in the Sunday afternoon boat capsize incident in Godavari River, in which 24 people are still reported missing, the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) APO and Tahsildar Devipatnam had said on Monday. 

According to an official statement, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Navy and ONGC helicopters to carry out the rescue operations on a war-footing. He has also ordered the Ministers in the district to supervise the rescue works. District officials have been directed to suspend all the boating services in the region immediately and check for the license of the boats. The Chief Minister has also asked for a complete report on the incident.

First-level flood warning issued on September 15, 2019

The Andhra State Disaster Management Authority issued a first-level flood warning on Sunday, September 15, for rising water levels.  The Dowaleswaram, Polavaram, and Kunavaram reservoirs have been affected. Along with this, a second level flood warning has been issued in the state of Telangana in light of the rising water level in the Badhrachalam dam. In Kunavaram, the water level at 10 pm on Sunday was 39.18 meters, while the danger level is at 39.24 meters. While in Polavaram, the water level is at 27.78 meters. 

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(Inputs from ANI)