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The three-decked watercraft is 62 metres broad and 12 metres long.
Digital Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi used video conferencing to launch the world's longest river cruise, the MV Ganga Vilas, in Varanasi on Friday. During the ceremony, the prime minister also launched Tent City in Varanasi and set the groundwork for several additional inland waterways projects totaling more than 1000 crores. The flag-off ceremony is being attended by Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and other ministers and senior officials from other ministries and departments.
All you need to know about Ganga Vilas cruise:
1. The Antara Cruises-operated MV Ganga Vilas will travel 3,200 kilometres through five Indian states and parts of Bangladesh in 51 days. It would travel from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh.
2. The three-decked watercraft is 62 metres broad and 12 metres long.
3. The journey will span 27 river systems in addition to connecting National Waterway 1 (NW1), which includes the Ganga, and National Waterway 2 (NW2) on the Brahmaputra.
4. It features 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 passengers and all of the premium facilities. According to a UP tourist department official, the rooms have relaxing decor and are equipped with several conveniences such as French balconies, LED TVs, safes, smoke detectors, and convertible beds.
5. There is also a 40-seat restaurant on the main deck, a spa, and a sun deck on the cruise ship. A bar is located on the upper deck.
6. The 51-day cruise itinerary includes visits to 50 tourist destinations, including World Heritage Sites, National Parks, River Ghats, and important towns such as Patna, Bihar, Sahibganj, Jharkhand, Kolkata, West Bengal, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Guwahati, Assam.
7. According to Sonowal, the journey will provide foreign tourists with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the art, culture, history, and spirituality of India and Bangladesh.
8. For the inaugural voyage, 32 visitors from Switzerland have signed up for the complete adventure.
9. The cruise was to reach Varanasi on January 6 but weather conditions and poor visibility meant that it reached Ghazipur, 65km from Varanasi, on January 8.
10. The tourists were taken to the tomb of Lord Cornwallis in Ghazipur, the Ganga Aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, and the newly renovated Kashi Vishwanath corridor.
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