Very soon there could be cruises on the Ganga in Varanasi

#InlandWaterways #Varanasi #NarendraModi #NitinGadkari If everything goes well, we could very soon see cruises on the Ganga, near Varanasi – the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It would probably bring Varanasi at par with London that has its famous cruises on the Thames. The tentative target to complete this project is 2018-19 – is it scheduled to coincide with the 2nd term of NaMo?
Along with focusing on developing a waterway for heavy cargo vessel navigation in the Ganga under Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP), the Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is also exploring commercial viability of passenger cruise operations - keeping in mind domestic tourists and pilgrims.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 17 June 2015.

The project of developing Inland Waterways had been started way back in 1986. However, it was not a priority project when compared to road transport and rail project. So far, only Rs 1100 crores could be spent on the IW.
Moreover, the minimal depth of waterway was a major deterrent for attracting cargo vessel operators on this route since, only small cargo vessels could be navigated in and that was not commercially viable.
Hence, the project of capacity augmentation will end this problem. Once the DPRs are ready, the actual cost of project would be estimated. It will also help in setting a deadline for the completion of National Waterway-I from Haldia to Allahabad.
With two heavyweight (literally!) ministers assigned by the Prime Minister, one to clean the Ganga (dredging included?) and the other to organize the waterway, one can hope that the 30-year-old project will now be completed. (Image source wikimediacommons.org)

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