The infrastructure sector of our country is on the path of progress. In the last few years, the nation has witnessed the construction of numerous new expressways and road infrastructure. But, now it is the time to build river infrastructure, with the government preparing over a thousand waterways to begin modern cruise ship services in the country's rivers. With the development of sustainable waterways, India is preparing itself to start a new era in the cruise tourism sector and the country will soon get a luxury river cruise. This cruise is known by the name "Ganga Vilas." The longest river cruise in the world, Ganga Vilas, will travel 3200 kilometers over a 50-day period. On January 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi waved it off from Varanasi. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, revealed the timetable for the Ganga Vilas Cruise in November, and since then, there has been a great deal of interest in this cruise among people all across the nation. So in this article, we will discuss the Ganga Vilas Cruise. We'll make an effort to learn all the important information about this cruise. Along with this, we will also discuss Ganga Vilas' entire route map and all of the cruise's facilities.
The land of Kashi is constantly breaking development records. After the Kashi Corridor, Varanasi is now going to gain a new dimension. Yes, from here will soon begin the river cruise service on the lines of foreign countries. This will enable folks to have a thrilling river cruise experience and will particularly be a significant draw for foreign visitors to India. This will be an incredible journey in and of itself, and the first river cruise made in the nation—the Ganga Vilas—which will be the longest river cruise in both India and the entire world—will be there to witness it. Ganga Vilas will take its guests on a tour of five Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam. It will also visit Bangladesh at the same time. That is, on this trip, you may experience stunning views of India and Bangladesh. The first trip will include 32 Swiss citizens on board, and 80 people in all will be accommodated. Ganga Vilas is currently traveling from Kolkata to Varanasi. All 32 Swiss travelers are on board, and when they arrive in Varanasi, they will be given a tour of the city's holy sites and given an introduction to Indian culture. Following that, all of these individuals will travel for 50 days with the other visitors. In its journey of 3200 km, the cruise will stop at more than 50 significant locations, including World Heritage Sites. During this period, tourists will experience the iconic Varanasi Ganga Aarti as well as national parks and sanctuaries such as Kaziranga National Park and Sundarbans Delta. Additionally, the One District One Product (ODOP) program and GI-tagged products from Uttar Pradesh will also be introduced to travelers on the Varanasi to Dibrugarh journey. According to Forbes, passengers on the Ganga Vilas Cruise will see breathtaking Indian landmarks including the magnificent Buddhist monastery Vikramshila and Varanasi, one of the oldest cities on Earth and one of India's holiest cities. And when this journey passes through the phase of Bangladesh, apart from the Ghost City of Sonargaon and the Sixty Dome Mosque erected in the 14th century, this voyage will take you past many other historically and culturally significant destinations in Bangladesh. This journey is also ideal for environment lovers, history buffs, and cultural enthusiasts. For individuals who prefer to travel in specific sections, there will also be Hop-On and Hop-Off alternatives.
The Ganga Vilas Cruise will travel along three major waterways: National Waterway 1, which is accessible via the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system; Indo-Bangla Protocol, which is accessible via the Kolkata-to-Dhubri and numerous rivers in Bangladesh; and National Waterway 2, which is accessible via the Brahmaputra River. There are 27 different river waters that the Ganga Vilas Cruise will travel through. This comprises the Ganga and Brahmaputra, two significant rivers in India. While it will depart from Varanasi and arrive in Patna, the capital of Bihar, on the eighth day, via Ghazipur and Buxar. It will travel from Patna via Farakka, Murshidabad, to Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, on the twentieth day. After that, Ganga Vilas will depart for Dhaka the following day, cross into Bangladesh, and stay in Bangladesh's water service for 15 days while traveling a distance of roughly 1100 km. It will then cross again into India, departing from Dhubri via the Brahmaputra River, and arrive at its final destination of Bogibeel in the Dibrugarh district via Guwahati. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is constructing and improving 62 small community ghats on the Ganga River to enhance the passengers' experience. Of them, 23 are in West Bengal, 21 are in Bihar, 3 are in Jharkhand, and 15 are in Uttar Pradesh.
The Ganga Vilas Cruise is an excellent example of Made in India. Ravikant, chief engineer at IWAI, claims that it is the first vessel made in India. Regarding this cruise's dimensions, they are as follows: 62.5 meters long, 12.8 meters wide, and the draught is 1.35 meters. This cruise is as luxurious as a five-star hotel and is furnished with numerous high-tech facilities. This cruise's passengers will be accommodated in a total of 18 suites, each of which is equipped with numerous amenities. It has luxurious bathrooms, convertible beds, a French balcony, LED TVs, sprinklers, life jackets, and smoke detectors. In addition, the cruise has been decorated with a variety of Indian products, such as wall hangings from Ghazipur and wooden toys. On this cruise, you will witness the skills of Indian handicrafts. For entertainment purposes, various arrangements have been made so that travelers do not get bored during the journey. According to the officials related to the cruise, musical and dance performances will be scheduled during the trip, along with a variety of other cultural activities.
A public-private partnership (PPP) approach will be used to operate the Ganga Vilas Varanasi-Dibrugarh cruise. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by IWAI, Antara Luxury River Cruises, and JM Baxi River Cruise for this purpose. It is yet unclear what the cruise's ticket price will be. The organization in charge of running it will choose its pricing, and the cost-plus methodology will be used to determine the ticket price.
This project has put India and Bangladesh on the global river cruise map. With this, the Indian subcontinent's tourism industry will expand, and the ambition of opening a cruise facility on other Indian rivers will also come true. According to the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, along with cruise services, coastal and river shipping development is one of the top priorities of the government. With the help of these services, India's immense potential as a waterway tourism hotspot would be more effectively utilized. Additionally, the development of land waterways will also benefit trade, cargo transportation, and India's logistics system all of which help in strengthening the economy of the nation.
Email:----------------p.s.bali200@gmail.com
