Assam government on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the Sagarmala Development Corporation Limited for starting a riverine religious tourism circuit connecting seven historic temples situated along the Brahmaputra in Guwahati.
Assam Tourism Development Corporation and the Department of Inland Waterways Transport Assam are the major implementing agencies.
The MoU will facilitate a modern ferry service on a ‘Hop On Hop Off’ among seven historical religious sites around Guwahati. The seven religious sites are Kamakhya, Pandunath, Ashwalknata, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar and Auniati Satra, to be covered with the help of this agreement. The waiting lounge at the ferry terminal will be a modern facility providing a comfortable ambience for the passengers, said an official statement.
The project, executed via a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), is likely to be completed with an investment of Rs 45 crore and will be completed within 12 months. The circuit will sail from Hanuman Ghat, Uzan Bazar and the ferry service is expected to reduce the overall travel time to less than two hours for completing one complete circuit.
SDCL and IWAI will jointly contribute 55% of the project cost, while the remaining will be provided by ATDC. DIWT has consented to provide the usage of Ghats near the temples free of cost for the project.
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