Flagged off from Varanasi on January 13 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ will culminate its journey on February 28 at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh. A welcome ceremony will be organised by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India in Dibrugarh on the same day, IWAI officials on Saturday said. The event will be attended by Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) along with other union ministers, state ministers, diplomats and officials of IWAI andMoPSW.
‘MV Ganga Vilas’, a cruise vessel made in India, began its
“MV Ganga Vilas has put India and Bangladesh on the river cruise map of the world thus opening a new horizon and
vertical for tourism and freight carriage in Indian sub-continent.
Tourists seeking spirituality have the opportunity to visit
destinations like Kashi, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Patna Sahib and those keen on witnessing the natural diversity will cover destinations like Sundarbans and Kaziranga. This route heralds a new chapter for freight carriage through inland waterways
both for India and Bangladesh. Now through this journey,
tourists have an opportunity to go on board an immersive
experiential voyage and explore the art, culture, history, and
spirituality of India and Bangladesh along the entire route,” Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports,
Shipping and Waterways in a statement on Saturday said.
The North East has a huge potential for freight carriage through National Waterways (NW). These National Waterways provide hinterland connectivity to states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh also and connect
these States with mainland India and sea ports of Kolkata and Haldia through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route. Several projects
for developing inland water transport infrastructure namely
fairway, terminals and navigation aids have been completed by
IWAI in the North East region and some of them are under
progress. As per an IWAI internal study conducted in the year 2017, 49 MMTPA of cargo moves in and out of the North East
Region and 30 MMTPA of cargo moves within North East region.
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