Modi flags off World’s Longest River Cruise thru India, Bangladesh

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world‍‍`s longest river cruise that will travel through India and Bangladesh.

The ‍‍`Made in India‍‍` vessel MV Ganga Vilas, operated by Antara Cruises begun its journey from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and travel 3,200 km, in 51 days, to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh.

Modi virtually launched the private cruise vessel MV Ganga Vilas from his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, said a Press Information Bureau of India press release.

He said the Haldia multimodal terminal is connected with India- Bangladesh protocol waterways and links the Kolkata port with Bangladesh. This, he added, will facilitate business from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of India to Bangladesh.

The vessel has three decks and is 62 metres broad by 12 meters long. The journey will cross 27 river systems of India and Bangladesh in addition to linking National Waterway 1 (NW1), which includes the Ganges, and National Waterway 2 (NW2) on the Brahmaputra.

MV Ganga Vilas has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the luxury amenities. The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland signing up for the entire length of the journey.

The 51-day voyage is scheduled to visit 50 tourist destinations, including national parks, river ghats, World Heritage Sites, and key towns like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Guwahati in Assam, reports Press Information Bureau of India.

Raj Singh, the cruise‍‍`s director, estimated the daily cost to be between 25,000 and 50,000 rupees.