Delhi To Get First Yamuna River Cruise Today On Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur Stretch

Delhi is set to get its first recreational river cruise service on the Yamuna. Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is due to inaugurate it on Tuesday, November 10, on the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch an official statement from the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Lieutenant Governor Sardar Taranjit Singh Sandhu are also expected to attend the ceremony at Sonia Vihar. The initiative aims to promote river-based tourism and give residents and visitors a new recreational attraction in the national capital.

“The development of the recreational river cruise service along the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch of the Yamuna River in Delhi marks an important step towards harnessing the potential of this National Waterway for recreational navigation and river-based tourism,” the Ministry stated. “Spearheaded by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, the initiative reflects the Authority's commitment to promoting sustainable inland water transport and developing waterways as an integral component of urban mobility and tourism infrastructure,” the Ministry added.

Waterway Designation Background

Under the National Waterways Act, 2016, the Yamuna carries the National Waterway-110 designation.

The cruise is expected to use that waterway for recreational navigation and tourism, the ministry said.

Last month, the vessel was put through successful trial runs with senior officials from the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the Delhi government present, the ministry said.

Agencies And Partners

The project is being developed by IWAI under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, working with the Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, Delhi Jal Board and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi government.

The cruise vessels will be electric-powered. The move is also intended to highlight inland waterways as a cleaner and more sustainable transport option, the statement said.

Others expected at the inauguration include Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra, Delhi ministers Parvesh Sahib Singh and Kapil Mishra and Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari, among other officials.