HT BureauGUWAHATI, Feb 26: Flagged off from Varanasi on January 13 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ will culminate its journey on February 28 in Dibrugarh. A welcome ceremony will be organised by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, government of India in Dibrugarh on the same day. The event will be graced by Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal along with other Union ministers, state ministers, diplomats and officials of IWAI & MoPSW.
The cruise will cover a total distance of 3,200 km in over 50 days before reaching Dibrugarh on Tuesday via Patna Sahib, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Dhaka, the Sundarbans and the Kaziranga National Park.
Built with a unique design and a futuristic vision, the cruise has three decks and 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists. It is already booked for to and fro journey for the next two years.
Related Posts:
Sonowal while speaking about the cruise ship said, “MV Ganga Vilas has put India and Bangladesh on the river cruise map of the world thus opening a new horizon and vertical for Tourism and freight carriage in the Indian sub-continent. Tourists seeking spirituality have the opportunity to visit destinations like Kashi, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Patna Sahib and those keen on witnessing the natural diversity will cover destinations like Sundarbans and Kaziranga. This route heralds a new chapter for freight carriage through inland waterways both for India and Bangladesh. Now through this journey, tourists have an opportunity to go on board an immersive experiential voyage and explore the art, culture, history, and spirituality of India and Bangladesh along the entire route.”
“Northeast has a huge potential for freight carriage through National Waterways (NW). These National Waterways provide hinterland connectivity to states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh also and connect these states with mainland India and sea ports of Kolkata and Haldia through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route. Several projects for developing inland water transport infrastructure namely fairway, terminals and navigation aids have been completed by IWAI in the Northeast region and some of them are under progress, Sonowal added.
As per an IWAI internal study conducted in the year 2017, 49 MMTPA of cargo moves in and out of the Northeast region and 30 MMTPA of cargo moves within the Northeast region.
