Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has a fascination for anything that is new.
Notwithstanding the poor financial status of the state, he announced that he will bring new technologies and new inventions that he comes across to the state, if he feels they would boost his image and prestige.
The other day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled in a seaplane from Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam in Mehsana as part of his campaign ahead of the second phase of polling in the Gujarat elections.
The media gave extensive coverage to Modi’s seaplane travel and some of them described it as the first-ever seaplane trip in the country, though it later turned out to be not exactly true.
Naidu, who saw it in the news, was fascinated by the seaplane and it struck to him as to why he cannot introduce the same in Krishna river in Vijayawada for the sake of tourists.
Within hours, the officials fulfilled his dream and got the seaplane to Gannavaram airport and from there into the Krishna river.
Naidu travelled in the seaplane from Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada to Gananvaram airport.
“Took a test flight of Amphibian Aircraft yesterday from Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada and landed at the Gannavaram Airport. The debut flight was an incredible experience,” Naidu said in a tweet on Thursday.
He said his government would have a tie-up with the owners of the seaplanes to introduce the same in Krishna river for the sake of tourists.
For the sake of record, prominent aviation company Spicejet introduced the seaplane and conducted trial runs on December 9 at Mumbai’s Girgaum-Chowpatty in which Union minsters Nitin Gadkari and Ashok Gajapathi Raju travelled.
Spicejet aims to procure 100 such amphibian aircrafts to boost regional connectivity by exploring the transportation potential of waterways, an official said.
