Assam is set to witness a historic change in riverine religious tourism with the signing of a multiparty memorandum of understanding among the State’s tourism corporation, Inland Water Transport Authority of India, Sagarmala Development Company Limited.
Among those present on the occasion were Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister for Shipping, Ports and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. As part of the MoU, seven historical and religious sites in Guwahati such as Kamakhya Temple, Pandunath, Ashwaklanta, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar, and Auniati Satra will be linked through a ferry service on a hop-on-hop-off mode.
In his address in the meeting, Dr. Sarma said that this initiative will adda new dimension to tourism in the State. “Once the project becomes operational, tourists will be able to experience all major destinations within Guwahati and be able to save a lot of time,” he said while thanking the Union Minister for his support.
Sources privy to the development told this newsletter that an investment of ₹ 45 crore has been envisaged in the project which will be completed in 12 months. The ferry will start from Hanuman Ghat in Uzan Bazar area of the city. It will reduce travel time by at least two hours from the present 7-8 hours that is usually taken to cover these historical and religious sites. The project will provide seamless connectivity among the temples mentioned through waterways and funicular railways.
The Union Minister, in his speech, expressed hope that this initiative of riverine tourism will open new vista for the tourism sector in Assam.
Sagarmala Development Company Limited and IWTA will jointly hold 55% equity in the project while the remaining 45% shall be the share of Assam Tourism Development Corporation.
