The cruise ‘Lake Princess’ that partially sank in the Upper Lake after being damaged by heavy rains and high waves, was finally lifted out of water on Friday. Teams of engineers from Hyderabad and Kochi were called to Bhopal for the task. Engineers had carried out an inspection on Thursday. Salvaging balloons were called from Visakhapatnam to lift the 17-tonne cruise safely out of the water. With this, the cruise was pulled out on Friday afternoon. By 12 noon, a portion of the cruise was raised above the water by a balloon. By 1 in the afternoon, the cruise was pulled out of the water by putting salvaging balloons on it’s other side as well. After taking the cruise out of the water, the team inspected it from inside and outside and started assessing the damage. Marine Engineer and boat builder operator Mohd Fazal, who came to rescue the cruise told ‘The Hitavada’ that due to the broken glass of the rear part of the cruise, it was filled with water. Due to the increase in weight, it partially sank in the Upper Lake. However, the main equipment of the cruise was not damaged. Cranes and other similar equipment cannot be used to remove the cruise from the water. This puts the cruise at risk of being damaged. Therefore, the salvaging balloon was used to remove it safely from the water. The cruise engine is being tested first after taking it out of the water.

“If it needs to be repaired, it will be repaired. If it is not damaged, it will be cleaned with petrol and overhauled. Along with this, engine bearings, gas kit and other damaged equipment will be replaced,” the engineer added. Scuba divers inspected the cruise a day before: A team of engineers from Hyderabad and Kochi scuba-dived to examine the cruise by going underwater on Thursday. But due to the dirty water being filled in the cruise, it was not yet clear what damage was posed to the cruise. Experts say that the cruise remains in the water, so nothing has been damaged more than its sinking. Its interior has definitely been damaged. However, the situation will be clear only after it is taken out.

This is how the salvaging balloon works: The help of a salvaging balloon is taken to rescue any cruise, boat, ship and other heavy equipment sunk in water. Large balloons are tied at the bottom of the cruise. After this, air is filled in them with a pressure pump. Due to its pressure, the cruise starts rising above the water. After filling the balloon to full capacity, the cruise comes out of the water. By using this technology, there is no risk of damage to other cruise equipment. This is a safe way to remove a heavy object from the water. It is mostly used to rescue large ships sunk in the seas.

Cruise will start sailing within a week: Boat Club Manager Sohail Qadir said that the cruise will be serviced after taking it out of the water. Probably within a week the cruise will again be seen taking tourists to the Upper Lake.

‘Lake Princess’ was bought by the Department of Tourism 10 years ago. A sum of Rs 70 lakh was spent on its purchase. This cruise has two floors. The first floor is general category, it has seating arrangement for 50 people. There is an AC room at the bottom of the cruise. It has seating arrangements for 20 to 30 people.