HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Feb 28: The World’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ reached Bogibeel in Dibrugarh on Tuesday.
Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal hailed it as a historic and path-breaking event to be witnessed in the Inland Waterways sector since India’s Independence.
Related Posts:
Sonowal accorded a warm welcome to all the 28 foreign tourists onboard.
With the successful end of its maiden journey covering a distance of over 3,200 kms, the MV Ganga Vilas opens up a new vista of opportunity in the river tourism potential in the entire South Asia region.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off MV Ganga Vilas – the first indigenously made cruise vessel in India – from Varanasi on January 13 last.
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.
During this epoch-making journey, the tourists travelling onboard had an opportunity to travel via iconic places like Patna Sahib, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Dhaka, the Sunderbans and the Kaziranga before reaching Dibrugarh in Assam on Tuesday.
Speaking on this historic moment, Sonowal said, “The successful completion of world’s longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas, has exemplified how India under the leadership of Narendra Modi is ready to explore newer horizons to unlock value for the country.”
“Today, we have realised another milestone to unlock tremendous potential in the blue economy of India,” he said.
Speaking on the huge boost to the river economy in the Northeast region, Sonowal said, “Our glorious history of riverine trade is set to be reclaimed with the successful completion of the world’s longest river cruise here on Tuesday. With the visionary leadership of Modi, we have reclaimed our access from Brahmaputra to international marine trade routes via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) & coastal ecosystem. The entire riverine economy through Arth Ganga has received a magnificent boost through the success of this River Cruise.”
’MV Ganga Vilas’ has put India and Bangladesh on the river cruise map of the world. It has opened a new vista and vertical for tourism and freight carriage in the Indian sub-continent.
Sonowal congratulated everyone who has contributed to the success of the world’s longest river cruise journey by MV Ganga Vilas.
Speaking on the occasion, Shripad Yesso Naik, Union minister of state for ports, shipping & waterways and tourism said, “The success of MV Ganga Vilas in completing world’s longest river cruise establishes the commitment of the Modi government to renew possibilities for holistic development of the country.”
