PM Modi to launch 4,000 km long river cruise from Varanasi to Assam

Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reportedly signal the start of the world’s longest river cruise, which will go from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, on January 13.

In 50 days, the luxury boat will travel 4,000 km along 27 river systems in India including the Ganges-Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Brahmaputra and West Coast Canal.

The Prime Minister said it would be a voyage like no other in the world, highlighting the booming cruise industry in India. On Friday, Modi launched several projects for West Bengal through video conference. He said, “I ask the people of West Bengal to take advantage of this.”

He said the inaugural voyage of the cruise would leave on January 13.

50 important tourist places will be visited during the entire voyage, including some historical monuments, the iconic Varanasi Ganga Aarti, and protected areas like Kaziranga National Park and Sundarbans Delta during the cruise.

In Bangladesh, the journey would be over 1,100 kms. According to a senior official of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the organization in charge of national waterways (NWs), a cruise run by a private player will be a regular fixture.

According to officials, the planning of the cruise service was heavily influenced by the development of the India-Bangladesh protocol route.

According to an IWAI official our civilization has developed on the banks of rivers, so visitors taking river cruises will have a greater understanding of our history and heritage.

Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal recently said that one of the top priorities of the government is the development of coastal and river shipping, especially cruise services.

The Prime Minister said the Center has been tasked with making 100 national waterways, with an aim to see world-class cruises plying on these rivers, apart from cargo flow.