Hyderabad: The Telangana Tourism Department is adding a new catamaran cruise boat to its fleet of boats, to be ferried in the Hussain Sagar, to meet the growing demand for boating in the lake.
Final touches on the new catamaran boat are underway on the banks of the lake, following which it will be commissioned.
Features of the catamaran boat
The boat with two hulls and engines has a lower and an upper deck, and is spacious enough to ferry 100 visitors in an hour. The boat measures 22 metres in length and 8 metres in width.
According to sources in the Tourism Department, presently boating in Hussain Sagar generates an average income of Rs 1.5 crore per month. The department is charging the tourists Rs 300 per head to ferry them around the lake for an hour. This means there is a maximum revenue of anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per trip.
The new boat will be centrally air-conditioned and is being manufactured at a cost of around Rs 3 crore.
Similar cruise services are being offered at other tourist places in Hyderabad, including the Durgam Cheruvu, Somasila, making boating an attractive and highly profitable service.
Hussain Sagar Lake: A popular tourist, boating spot in Hyderabad
Hussain Sagar, built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in 1563, is one of the popular tourist spots in Hyderabad.
The heart-shaped lake was named after Hussain Shah Wali, Master of Architecture. It was the main source of water supply before the construction of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar.
The Buddha statue at the centre of the lake was erected in 1992.
Currently, the Hyderabad Sailing Week is underway at the Hussain Sagar Lake until July 26.
