Guwahati: The World’s Longest River Cruise-MV Ganga Vilas was finally launched on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Prime Minister inaugurating the MV Ganga Vilas underlined the low usage of river waterways in India “before 2014” despite the rich history of this mode of transport in the country.
The Prime Minister informed that in 2014 only 5 national waterways were there in the country, now there are 111 national waterways in the country and about two dozen are in operation already. Similarly, there has been a 3 times increase in cargo transportation via river waterways from 30 lakh metric tonnes 8 years ago.
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Coming back to the theme of the development of eastern India, the Prime Minister said that today’s events will help in making eastern India a growth engine for Developed India. This connects Haldia multimodal terminal with Varanasi and is also connected with the India-Bangladesh protocol route and Northeast.
This also connects Kolkata port and Bangladesh. This will facilitate business from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal to Bangladesh.
Emphasising the need for training of the staff and skilled workforce, the Prime Minister informed that a Skill Development Center has been set up in Guwahati and a new facility is also being constructed in Guwahati for the repairing of ships.
“Be it a cruise ship or a cargo ship, they not only give a boost to transport and tourism, but the entire industry associated with their service also creates new opportunities”, the Prime Minister said.
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MV Ganga Vilas will begin its journey from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and travel around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, sailing across 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh. MV Ganga Vilas has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the luxury amenities. The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland signing up for the entire length of the journey.
The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is curated to bring out the best of the country to be showcased to the world.
The 51 days cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sites, National Parks, River Ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam. The journey will give the tourists an opportunity to embark upon an experiential voyage and indulge in the art, culture, history, and spirituality of India and Bangladesh.
In line with PM’s endeavour to boost river cruise tourism, the huge untapped potential of river cruises will get unlocked with the launch of this service and it will herald a new age of river cruise tourism for India.