Indo-Bangla river crusie to begin commerical ops from Nov 1

Regular two-way cruise services between India and Bangladesh will begin from November 1, a senior government official said on Thursday. The route--along the Brahmaputra from Dhuri in Assam and Pangoan in Bangladesh--was opened in March this year and a pilot was on since then.

"The two-way cruise began in March on a pilot basis. From November 1, regular two-way cruise will start," Inland Waterways Authority vice-chairman Pravir Pandey told an industry event here.

He further said there are six other international level cruise vessels that are moving between Kolkata and Banaras, which are very high-end vessels that are booked two years in advance. There are also cruise vessels that are travelling between Kolkata to various locations from the Ganges such as Murshidabad and Sultangunj. These cruise operators have tied up with local cruise operators, he said.

Addressing the event, Mumbai Port Trust chairman Sanjay Bhatia said the port is building a special cruise terminal in the city and is also planning to have the Mumbai- Goa cruise line a port of call at Ganpatipule. It is also developing the Kanhoji Angrea island for cruise shipping. He further said of the five leading global cruise companies, at least three have started porting in Mumbai now.

"In FY18 we had 40 ships calling, which went up to 106 in FY19 and so far this year we have had 206 ships calling in. So, we are growing from primary to secondary stage very soon." PTI PSK BEN BEN.