The world’s longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas entered Guwahati on Monday.
The river cruise with 26 Swiss and two German tourists in it was docked at the city’s Pandu Port.
It is to be noted that anchoring of MV Ganga Vilas at Pandu Ports is a milestone for the Assam tourism industry which is expected to boost the tourism and economy of the state.
Last Friday, MV Ganga Vilas arrived at ZERO point on Indo-Bangladesh border after which it sailed further 32 kms to reach Dhubri port. The cruise vessel was escorted by survey vessel SL Subansiri throughout its journey from the Zero point upto Pandu port.
The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal had termed the arrival of Ganga Vilas cruise ship at Dhubri in Assam, India as a ‘watershed moment’ in the inland waterways transportation towards transformation of the Northeast India. The Minister congratulated the people of Assam and the Northeast on this historic moment that is set to unlock huge potential of river tourism, allowing trickle down development for people across the bank of the Brahmaputra.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Today is a historic day for the people of Assam and for the Northeast India. Our endeavour towards reclaiming the glory of Assam’s trade and commerce got a tremendous boost with the successful passage of Ganga Vilas. We have a history of flourishing trade and commerce via inland waterways before the partition. As the possibilities were turned into realities, the successful voyage of Ganga Vilas has opened a new vista of possibilities, opportunities and realities. The vision of our dynamic Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring transformation via transportation has been realised as Ganga Vilas enters the Assam phase of its journey. The positive response from the tourists onboard the ship bears testament to the possibility of bright days of river cruise tourism on Ganga and Brahmaputra. We remain committed towards re-energising our rich inter web of river systems to unlock value & bring development to the interiors of our country. This watershed moment of inland water transportation will unveil progress and development in the Northeast region, as it readies itself to propel as the engine of growth of India under the powerful leadership of PM Narendra Modi.”
Flagged off by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the historic cruise set sail from Varanasi on January 13, 2023, and, after traversing through Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal as well as Bangladesh, arriving at Dhubri in Assam on its 39 day of the voyage. Dubbed as the longest river cruise in the world, the Varanasi to Bogibeel voyage by the Ganga Vilas is scheduled to complete the journey on March 1, 2023, when it anchors at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh drawing a close to its 51 day cruise.
