Boost to tourism: U.P. to operate luxury catamaran solar ferries in 20 towns

The project will start from Saryu in Ayodhya around June-July this year, said Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) director Anupam Shukla.

Lucknow The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to operate luxury catamaran solar ferries with zero emissions on various water bodies in 20 towns, which are being developed as solar cities. The project will begin with operating eco-friendly ferries on the Saryu river in Ayodhya, said officials involved in the development.

Each catamaran boat would cost around ₹1.25 crore. (UPNEDA)

Built with German technology, these catamaran boats will be used for both transportation and tourism. Each boat would cost around ₹1.25 crore. “To begin with, we are purchasing seven catamaran solar boats to ply on water bodies in solar cities. The project will start from Saryu in Ayodhya around June-July this year,” said Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) director Anupam Shukla.

“The tenders to purchase these ferries with specific features have already been floated,” he added. All the catamaran solar boats, as per the tender conditions, will be 30-seater with a minimum length of 10-metre and a breadth of 3.6-metre. They will also have the provision of being propelled by electric battery in the event of solar power not being available due to adverse weather conditions.

“Initially, for six months, the company supplying the boats will be responsible for ferrying them as well. Subsequently, the boats will be handed over to the tourism department. The boats will be used for both tourism and transportation,” added Shukla. Such boats, he said, which operated in Kerela were a major attraction for tourists.

Notably, Aditya is India’s first solar boat that was launched in Kerema in January 2017. In Uttar Pradesh, the operation of eco-friendly catamaran solar boats is part of the ambitious solar city project that seeks to develop 20 cities as solar cities. These cities -- Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Agra, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Bareilly, Aligarh, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Noida, Firozabad, Jhansi, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Ayodhya, Azamgarh and Mirzapur -- will meet most of their electricity needs from renewable energy sources.

Under the state government policy, all these cities will be developed as ‘solar cities’ by installing solar rooftops over all houses, solar streetlights, and putting up solar water ATMs. “This work is in full swing in Ayodhya, which will be the first in the state to be developed as the solar city. Detailed project reports (DPRs) of other identified cities are also being prepared,” said Shukla.