PM Modi To Launch World’s Longest River Cruise In UP’s Varanasi Next Week
The world’s longest river cruise, which will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13 in Varanasi, will usher in a new era of river cruise tourism for India, according to Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.
The opulent cruise will travel more than 3,200 kilometres along 27 different river systems in five states in Bangladesh and India. With the introduction of this service, Mr. Sonowal continued, the enormous untapped potential of river cruises is about to be unlocked.
At the event, Mr. Sonowal gave a speech in which he stated, “Under the vibrant leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are exploring the enormous richness that our rich river system has to offer.
Mr Sonowal said, “This avenue of sustainable development via inland waterways has received a tremendous boost as efforts to augment cargo traffic as well as passenger tourism have borne fruit with encouraging results. The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is a step towards unlocking the huge potential river tourism the country has to offer”.
“From Kashi to Sarnath, from Majuli to Mayong, from Sunderbans to Kaziranga, this cruise packs an experience of a lifetime. I believe that this wonderful initiative, under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, is the beginning of a new era in river cruise tourism in India and strengthening our government’s commitment to enabling Act East, both through policy and practice,” minister said.
The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is designed to highlight the best of the nation for global exposure.
The 51-day voyage is scheduled to visit 50 tourist destinations, including national parks, river ghats, world heritage sites, and important towns like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Guwahati in Assam.
The MV Ganga Vilas ship has a 62-meter length, a 12-meter breadth, and a 1.4-meter draught that allows it to travel easily.
The ship is built with sustainability concepts at its core and has technologies for noise reduction and pollution-free operations.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
