Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the world's longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas between Varanasi-Dibrugarh on January 13 (Friday). Besides, prime minister Modi will also inaugurate the 'Tent City' at Varanasi and lay the foundation stones for several other inland waterways projects worth more than Rs 1,000 crore via videoconferencing.
KNOW more about 'MV Ganga Vilas':
FEATURES of 'Tent City' at Varanasi:
Tent City has been conceptualized on the banks of the River Ganga to tap the potential of tourism in the region. The project has been developed opposite to city ghats which will provide accommodation facilities and cater to the increased tourist influx in Varanasi, especially since the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. It has been developed by Varanasi Development Authority.
The tourists will reach the Tent City by boats from different Ghats situated in the vicinity. The tent city will be operational from October to June every year and will be dismantled for three months due to rise in river water level in the rainy season.
On the sandy banks of the Ganga in Varanasi, over 200 tents offer tourists a panoramic view of the famed ghats of the holy city on the other side of the river along with live classical music, 'aarti' in the evening and yoga sessions.
The 'Tent City', to be inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, has been developed on the lines of similar setups in Gujarat's Kutch and Rajasthan. Three clusters of 10 hectares each comprise the Tent City and are expected to give a fillip to the city's tourism potential, said Kaushal Raj Sharma, the divisional commissioner of Varanasi.
Vice Chairman of Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) Abhishek Goyal said the Tent City will be a confluence of religion, spirituality and culture.
"Guests at the Tent City will experience the sunrise, live music events in the morning, yoga session by the river as well as boat tours. Special care has been taken for the comfort, convenience and safety of all tourists," he said. Goyal said the three clusters of tents include villas of 900 sq ft each, super deluxe accommodation of 480 to 580 sq ft each and deluxe accommodation of 250 to 400 sq ft each.
The tent city is complete with Swiss Cottages, a reception area, a gaming zone, restaurants, dining areas, conference venues, spa and yoga centres, a library and an art gallery. It will also offer water sports, and camel and horse riding on the sandy banks of the Ganga, he said.
Neeraj Upadhyay, the designer of the Tent City, said it has been given the shape of temple spires. The tents will give the feel of luxury and offer the facilities of a hotel, he said.
"An attempt has been made to project the image of Kashi in it. The atmosphere of the Tent City is such that it will tickle all five senses. The fragrance of sandalwood, rose and lavender can be smelled across the tent city while the famous Banarasi thandai, chaat and Banarasi paan will a treat for the taste buds," he said.
City Police Commissioner Mutha Ashok Jain said adequate security arrangements have been made for the Tent City. Two temporary police outposts have been set up there. Non-veg food items and liquor have been banned there, he added.
Inland Waterway projects:
Prime Minister will inaugurate Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal in West Bengal. Developed under Jal Marg Vikas Project, Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal has a cargo handling capacity of around over 3 Million Metric Tonne Per Annum (MMTPA) and the berths are designed to handle vessels up to around 3000 Deadweight tonnage (DWT). Further, he will also inaugurate four floating community jetties at Saidpur, Chochakpur, and Zamania in Ghazipur district, and at Kanspur in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, a foundation stone will be laid for the five Community Jetties at Digha, Nakta Diyara, Barh, Panapur in Patna district, and Hasanpur in Samastipur district in Bihar.
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