River Cruise Service to Kickoff Between Varanasi and Bogibeel from 2023

DIBRUGARH: The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal has announced that a river cruise service between Varanasi and Bogibeel will be flagged off in the first half of next year. 

When started, this river cruise service will be the longest in the country, traversing a distance of 4000 kilometers via Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP) and will connect two major rivers of India- Ganga and Brahmaputra. 

Sonowal in a statement said, "This service will be a very big boon for the people of Assam as it will give them a host of opportunities to promote their trade and also to transport cargo. It will also aid in the state's tourism sector and will in turn bring in good revenue for the state." 

The union minister also launched multiple development projects in and around the Bogibeel area in the Dibrugarh district in order to give a wholesome experience to the visitors. 

The minister also laid foundation stones for the construction of floating jetties in the Bogibeel area where the ships would dock in. 

Sonowal also inaugurated a passenger jetty in Bogibeel, which is built by Northeast Frontier Railways(NFR) as a part of their development initiatives and this will in turn be a kind of an advertisement for them. It is also part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. 

Sonowal was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing out the Gati Shakti National Master Plan which plans to unlock the huge potential of inland water transportation in Assam by using National Waterways 2 on the river Brahmaputra. 

The government is also mulling over the multitude of avenues to promote inland navigation, river cruise tourism and how to construct suitable terminals for the same. 

Sonowal also said that the two floating jetties which is to be built at two different places, one in Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district and the other in Guijan in Tinsukia district will be constructed as state-of-the-art terminals. The estimated cost of building these terminals is Rs 8.25 crores and will be completed by February next year. 

Also Read: Jorhat-Bogibeel Junction National Highway is not likely in 3 years!

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