As MV Ganga Vilas reached Dhubri in Asaam in its last leg of the journey, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal said that this was a ‘watershed moment’ in the inland waterways transportation towards transformation of Northeast India.

“Our endeavour towards reclaiming the glory of Assam’s trade and commerce got a tremendous boost with the successful passage of Ganga Vilas. We have a history of flourishing trade and commerce via inland waterways before the partition. As the possibilities were turned into realities, the successful voyage of Ganga Vilas has opened a new vista of possibilities, opportunities and realities,” Sonowal said.

Upon arrival at Dhubri, the ship was anchored on the Brahmaputra.

The cruise – the longest in the world was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi on January 13. The ship, after traversing through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal as well as Bangladesh, arrived in Assam today on the 39th day. The journey will be complete on March 1, when it anchors at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh drawing a close to its 51-day cruise.

The MV Ganga Vilas vessel is 62 metres in length and 12 meters in width and comfortably sails with a draft of 1.4 meters.

It has three decks, and 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the amenities to provide a memorable and luxurious experience for the tourists.

Earlier, Sonowal said that the cruise market in India had the potential to grow 10- fold in the next 10 years.

Also read: Luxury boat Ganga Vilas reaches Varanasi, to be flagged off by PM on longest river cruise