Ganga Vilas Cruise not stuck in Bihar's Chhapra, claim operators: Report

Flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 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.

After reports emerged of the Ganga Vilas Cruise being stuck in Bihar's Chhapra on Monday days after being flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, its operaters have refuted such claims.

Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, the chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India, told ANI that the cruise reached Patna as per scheduled and was not stuck in Chhapra.

The district's Circle Officer Satendra Singh claimed he was misquoted by local journalists. "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 told ANI.

The cruise operators said the vessel was not stuck and technically cannot 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," Raj Singh, Chairman, Exotic Heritage Group, told ANI.

Chirand Saran, situated 11 km southeast of Chhapra near Doriganj Bazar, is the most important archaeological site of the district. Stupanuma fillings built on the banks of the Ghaghra river are seen to be associated with Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim influences. Earlier, it was reported that the cruise got stuck because of water deficiency in the Ganges near the Doriganj area of the district.

In Pics: World's longest cruise MV Ganga Vilas

Earlier, 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.

"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," he had said.

Ganga Vilas Cruise also has special features. Its speed is 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. The cruise has all the necessary facilities for the convenience of the people and their needs. Its fare in India is ₹25,000 a day, while in Bangladesh the fare is ₹50,000 a day.

PM Modi had 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 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 five 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.

(With ANI inputs)