The flagship Ganga Vilas cruise, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, got stuck on the third day of its 51-day journey in Bihar’s Chhapra due to shallow water in the Ganga, officials said on Monday. The cruise which was scheduled to dock at the shore for the tourists to visit Chirand, an archaeological site, got stuck because of water deficiency in the Ganges near the Doriganj area of the district.
Chirand Saran, located 11 kilometres southeast of Chhapra near Doriganj Bazar, is the district’s most important archaeological site. Stupanuma fillings on the banks of the Ghaghra river are thought to have Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim influences. However, officials stated that it was difficult to bring the cruise to the shore due to the shallow water.
Upon receipt of the information, the SDRF team reached the spot to rescue the tourists through a small boat so that they do not face difficulties in reaching Chirand Saran. Chhapra’s CO Satendra Singh who is a part of the arrangement-making team said that adequate arrangements have been made for the tourists in Chirand.
“SDRF team is stationed at the ghat so that immediate action can be taken on any untoward situation. Due to less water, there is a problem in bringing the cruise to the shore. Therefore, efforts are being made to bring tourists through small boats,” he said.
Ganga Vilas Cruise also has special features. Its speed is up to 12 km per hour upstream and 20 km downstream. The cruise has an RO system for drinking water, along with a sewage treatment plant.
The cruise has all the necessary facilities for the convenience of the people and their needs. Its fare in India is Rs 25,000 a day, while in Bangladesh the fare is Rs 50,000 a day. PM Modi flagged off the cruise from Varanasi on January 13.
The luxury triple-deck cruise will travel from Varanasi to Dibrugarh in Assam on the world’s longest waterway. The cruise can accommodate 80 passengers in 18 suits. This expedition cruise will travel for 51 days and will stop in Bangladesh for 15 days. Following that, it will travel to Dibrugarh via Assam’s Brahmaputra River.
The luxury cruise will travel over 3,200 kilometres through five Indian and Bangladeshi states. This cruise will traverse 27 river systems in UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Assam. The cruise will travel along three major rivers: the Ganga, the Meghna, and the Brahmaputra. The cruise will travel through Bengal’s river systems of the Bhagirathi, Hooghly, Bidyavati, Malata, and Sundarbans. It flows through Bangladesh’s Meghna, Padma, and Jamuna rivers before entering the Brahmaputra in Assam.
According to an official statement, the 51-day cruise will include stops at 50 tourist attractions such as World Heritage Sites, National Parks, river Ghats, and major cities such as Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Guwahati in Assam.
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