World's longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas ending its first trip in Dibrugarh on Feb 28, Voyage booked for next 2 years

Digital Desk: The MV Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise, will reach Dibrugarh, Assam, on Tuesday (28 February).

On the same day, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will have a welcoming ceremony in Dibrugarh. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, as well as other Union Ministers, State Ministers, Diplomats, and bureaucrats, will attend the event.

The 'MV Ganga Vilas' is an Indian-built cruise ship that set sail from Varanasi on January 13 after being flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The Cruise will travel 3,200 kilometres in 50 days, stopping in Patna Sahib, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Dhaka, the Sundarbans, and the Kaziranga National Park before arriving in Dibrugarh on February 28.

North Eastern India has a large potential for transporting goods via National Waterways (NW). These National Waterways connect the states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh to mainland India and the seaports of Kolkata and Haldia via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route.

IWAI has completed and is now working on several projects for improving inland water transport infrastructure in the North East region, including fairways, terminals, and navigation aids.

According to an IWAI internal research conducted in 2017, 49 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA) of cargo goes in and out of the NorthEast Area, with around 30 MMTPA of goods moving inside the region. 

The cruise includes three decks and 18 suites on board, with a capacity of 36 visitors and a one-of-a-kind design. It is already reserved for round-trip travel for the next two years. 

As said by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal "MV Ganga Vilas has put India and Bangladesh on the river cruise map of the globe thereby providing a new horizon and vertical for Tourism and freight carriage in the Indian subcontinent. Visitors seeking spirituality can visit Kashi, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, and Patna Sahib, while those interested in natural diversity should visit Sundarbans and Kaziranga." 

"This route opens a new chapter for freight carriage over interior waterways both for India and Bangladesh. Tourists may now embark on an immersive experiential voyage that explores the art, culture, history, and spirituality of India and Bangladesh throughout the entire path, thanks to this excursion," he added.