Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off MV Ganga Vilas, the world’s longest river Cruise, and inaugurated Tent City in Varanasi via video conferencing. During the event, the prime minister also laid the foundation stones for several other inland waterways projects worth over ₹1000 crores. Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, besides other ministers and senior officials from various ministries and departments were present at the event.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the beginning of the world’s longest river cruise service on river Ganga is a landmark moment, asserting that the project will herald a new age of tourism in India. “I want to tell passengers onboard river cruise liner MV Ganga Vilas that India has everything you can imagine. It also has lot beyond your imagination. India can’t be defined in words. India can only be experienced from the heart. Because India has opened her heart for everyone, irrespective of region or religion, creed or country” he said.
Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav assured Prime Minister Modi that the state government provide all possible help to facilitate a smooth journey for the tourists onboard MV Ganga Vilas. He said the tourists onbaord the river cruise, which will pass through Buxar, Chhapra, Patna, Munger, Sultanganj and Kahalgaon, will be accorded a traditional welcome at each port and taken to visit historical places. Yogi Adityanath said that the tourists visited Varanasi and nearby places and experienced the culture in the last three days.
Traversing 3,200km through five states in India and parts of Bangladesh over 51 days, MV Ganga Vilas will begin its journey from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and reach Dibrugarh in Assam. With 18 suites and a capacity of 36 tourists, the cruise boasts of luxury amenities like French balconies, LED TVs, safes, smoke detectors, and convertible beds.
