NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra visited Sonia Vihar on Thursday to take stock of final preparations of the city’s first ever cruise service in the Yamuna. The cruise ship arrived in the city about a week back. The service is scheduled to be launched on February 20 by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and will offer hour-long round trips in the river.
Mishra had earlier said that the cruise ship would have a seating capacity for 40 passengers and provide onboard facilities such as music, entertainment, and food services. “The cruise ship has arrived in Delhi, and most of the work is complete. A few remaining technical tasks are underway, and it will be launched this month,” Mishra had said last week.
In March last year, the Delhi government and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) had signed a memorandum of understanding to host eco-friendly river cruises on a four-kilometre stretch between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur. Delhi government officials had said that the initiative is aimed to transform the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi into a hub for eco-friendly cruise operations. They say the government has plans to give Goa-like experience to people of Delhi and surrounding areas.