Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off world’s longest river cruise MI Ganga Vilas from Varanasi to Dibrugarh which would traverse through three rivers, including the one in Bangladesh, before reaching its destination in 51 days.
The cost of travelling on the cruise per day was Rs 25 thousand, while a 51-day cruise would cost Rs 20 lakh per passenger.
The vessel would cover 3,200 kilometres during its 51-day journey and pass through 27 river systems, besides touching around 50 tourist spots and cities, including Patna, Kolkata, Dhaka and Guwahati.
“Those who earlier went to foreign countries to enjoy river cruises can now enjoy it in India....we are encouraging cruise tourism....it will give the foreign tourists an opportunity to see the country and experience its diversity,” Modi said before flagging off the cruise.
The cruise, which had five-star facilities and had a capacity to house 36 tourists, began its first journey with 32 tourists from Switzerland on Friday. Ten tourists would get down at Kolkata, while the same number would board the cruise from there for its onward journey, the officials associated with the cruise said in Varanasi.
The tourists would be served ‘desi’ cuisines, including Varanasi’s famous ‘jalebi’ (a sweet)-kachori’, Bihar's popular dish ‘bati-chokha’, besides idli and sambar during their trip. MI Ganga Vilas has three decks, 18 suites and a gym, restaurant, salon and other amenities.
The vessel would be traversing across 27 river systems, and will pass through 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sites and major cities like Patna, Sahibganj, Kolkata, Guwahati, as well as Dhaka in Bangladesh. Tourists will also be able to see the Sundarbans and Kaziranga National Park.
The cruise, however, will start only from April 2024, since a Swiss company has booked it till March 2024. The ship, which is the first-ever cruise vessel made in India, is 62 meters in length, 12 meters with a draft of 1.4 meters, has 39 crew members.
The officials said that the vessel had an RO plant and STP to make sure that there was no pollution in the river. Besides, plastic would not be used in the voyage, they added.
(With PTI inputs)
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