New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the “world’s longest river cruise”, MV Ganga Vilas. And inaugurate a ‘tent city’ on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi on January 13 via video conferencing.
His office said in a statement that he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for several other inland waterway projects worth over ₹ 1,000 crore during the event.
The MV Ganga Vilas will start its journey from Varanasi and will cover about 3,200 km via Bangladesh. To Assam’s Dibrugarh in 51 days, crossing 27 river systems of the two countries, it said.
Prime Minister Modi said the 51-day river cruise is a unique opportunity to connect. With the country’s cultural roots and discover the beautiful aspects of its diversity.
The cruiser has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity to carry 36 tourists and all luxury amenities. On the first voyage, 32 tourists from Switzerland signed up for the entire length of the trip, it noted.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the cruise was designed to bring out the best of the country to show it to the world. The cruise is planned to visit 50 tourist spots including world heritage sites, national parks river ghats. And major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahebganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
The tour will give tourists an opportunity to embark on an experiential journey. And indulge in the art, culture, history and spirituality of India and Bangladesh.
In line with the Prime Minister’s efforts to boost river cruise tourism. The service will help unlock the huge untapped potential of the sector and usher in a new era of tourism for India, it said.
A ‘tent city’ in Varanasi on the banks of the Ganga River is envisaged to tap the tourism potential of the region, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The project has been developed opposite the city ghat which will provide housing facilities. And cater to the increased flow of tourists to Varanasi, especially since the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
It is developed by Varanasi Development Authority in PPP mode. Tourists will reach ‘Tent City’ by boat from various nearby ghats. The ‘tent city’ will operate from October to June every year and will be dismantled for three months due to rising river levels during the monsoons.
Among other projects, PM Modi will inaugurate West Bengal’s Haldia Multi-modal Terminal. Developed under the Jal Marg Development Scheme. It has a cargo handling capacity of about three million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) and the berths are designed to handle vessels up to about 3000 deadweight tonnage (DWT).
Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate four floating community jetties at Syedpur, Chochakpur, Jamania in Gazipur district. And Kanspur in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. Besides, Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stones of five community jetties. At Digha, Nakta Diara, Bar, Panapur in Patna district and Hasanpur in Samastipur district of Bihar.
More than 60 community jetties are being constructed along. The Ganges across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal to boost economic activity. And improve the livelihood of local communities in the region, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Community jetties will play a vital role in improving. The livelihood of the people by providing easy logistics solutions for small farmers, fisheries units, unorganized farm production units, horticulturists, florists. And artisans focusing on economic activities in and around the Ganga West.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Maritime Skill Development Center for North East in Guwahati. This will help hone the rich talent pool of the Northeast region and provide better employment opportunities in the growing logistics industry.
Apart from this, the PMO said, Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone of a ship repair facility. And an elevated road at Pandu Terminal in Guwahati. Ship repair facility at Pandu Terminal will save a lot of valuable time as it takes more than a month to transport a ship to Kolkata repair facility and back.
Moreover, it will also save a lot of money as the shipping cost will also be saved. PM’s
