ccording to an official on Monday, the flagship Ganga Vilas Cruise got stuck on its third day of the 51- day journey in Bihar’s Chhapra due to the shallow water in Ganga. The Ganga Vilas Cruise was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi last week.
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.
The most significant archaeological site in the area is Chirand Saran, which is close to Doriganj Bazaar and is located 11 km southeast of Chhapra. The construction of Stupanuma fills along the Ghaghra river’s banks is considered to have included Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim influences. It was challenging to bring the cruise to the shore, officials added, because of the shallow water there.
After receiving the information, the SDRF team went to the location to rescue the tourists using a small boat so they wouldn’t have any trouble getting to 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.
Satendra Singh said “ 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.”
The Ganga Vilas Cruise has unique features as well. Upstream and downstream, it can go up to 12 and 20 kilometers per hour, respectively. The ship contains a sewage treatment facility and a RO system for drinking water. The cruise offers all the amenities required for the comfort of the passengers and their requirements. In Bangladesh, the fare is Rs 50,000/day, compared to Rs 25,000/day in India.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi flagged off the cruise from Varanasi on January 13.
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.
This cruise will go on an adventurous journey for 51 days and ass 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 km 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 Baghirathi, Hoogly, Bidyavati, and Sundarbans river systems in Bengal.
It will pass through Meghna, Padma, and Jamuna in Bangladesh and then enter the Brahmaputra in Assam.
According to an official statement, the 51-day cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourists 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.