Ganga Vilas cruise 'not stuck', 'docked for tourists to explore shoreline', claims IWAI

Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13, was reportedly stuck due to shallow waters, however, Inland Waterways Authority of India claimed there was no truth to such reports.

Chhapra (Bihar): The MV Ganga Vilas Cruise, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, reached Patna as per schedule and is not stuck in Chhapra, stated Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on Monday. The denial comes shortly after it was widely reported that the cruise had stuck in the Ganges owing to shallow waters.

Chairman, IWAI, Sanjay Bandopadhyaya said the vessel, MV Ganga Vilas, will continue its onwards journey as per schedule. "The Ganga Villas reached Patna as per schedule. There is absolutely no truth in the news that the vessel is stuck in Chhapra. The vessel will continue its onwards journey as per schedule" IWAI said in a tweet quoting Bandopadhyaya. Chhapra's CO Satendra Singh said local journalists earlier misquoted him.

"Local journalists have misquoted me, I just said SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) boats were at the spot as a precautionary move. There is no obstacle of any kind," Singh was quoted saying by news agency ANI. He said that the SDRF boats were provided "by the district authorities" as a routine precautionary measure.

The operators of the vessel also said that it is not stuck and technically can't go to the shore. "(Where) river is not deep, you have to use shallow boats to get off and on to see the site. The main ship stays in the main channel where there is water. This is what happened here. It is the norm. This is the normal thing," said Raj Singh, Chairman, Exotic Heritage Group.

The operators also said the ship with its clients is running as per schedule and is anchored in Patna and will sail after sightseeing. They said that technically the small boats are required to take the guests to the shore. "We have the same arrangement for the Sundarbans and rest of West Bengal too. This has been the plan all along. Yes, if the ship comes to the shore it may get stuck and hence to avoid the situation we use local boats which also provides some income locally."

PM Modi had flagged off the world's longest river cruise - MV Ganga Vilas - via video conferencing on January 13. Earlier in the day, ANI reported that the cruise got stuck due to shallow water in the Ganges, and foreign tourists were brought to the shore through small motor boats and were shown the remains of the archaeological importance of Chirand in the district.

Congress general secretary in charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh, meanwhile, reacted to a report that claimed the river cruise could threaten endangered Ganges Dolphin.

"The river cruise on the Ganga unveiled by the PM is obscene! Who can afford Rs 50 lakh per night except the filthy rich? Ganga is still neither Nirmal nor Aviral. Now this Tamasha will also endanger India's national aquatic mammal — the Gangetic dolphin," Ramesh tweeted. Later he corrected the figure sand it was "Rs. 50,000 per night".

Ganga Vilas Cruise travels at a speed of up to 12 kilometres per hour upstream and 20 kilometres downstream. The cruise has an RO system for drinking water, along with a sewage treatment plant. It 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.

The luxury triple-deck cruise will travel on the world's longest waterway from Varanasi to Dibrugarh in Assam. The cruise has a capacity of 80 passengers with 18 suits and three decks, with all the luxury amenities. This cruise will go on an adventurous journey for 51 days and pass through Bangladesh for 15 days. Following this, it will go to Dibrugarh through the Brahmaputra river in Assam.

The luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 kms and pass through 5 states in India and Bangladesh. This cruise will pass through a total of 27 river systems of UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Assam. The cruise will pass through three major rivers Ganga, Meghna, and Brahmaputra.

The cruise will enter the Bhagirathi, Hooghly, Bidyavati, Malata, and Sundarbans river systems in Bengal. In Bangladesh, it will pass through Meghna, Padma, and Jamuna in Bangladesh and then enter the Brahmaputra in Assam. According to an official statement, the 51 days cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sights, National Parks, river Ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.

The journey will give the tourists an opportunity to embark upon an experiential voyage and indulge in the art, culture, history, and spirituality of India and Bangladesh.