New Delhi [India], November 10 (ANI): Delhi took a big step in direction of increasing its river-based tourism choices with the inauguration of its first leisure Yamuna River Cruise service on the Yamuna by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal within the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at Sonia Vihar on Tuesday.
Developed alongside the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch, the initiative goals to unlock the tourism and leisure potential of the Yamuna whereas providing residents and guests a brand new method to expertise the nationwide capital.
The launch additionally marks one other milestone within the Centre’s efforts to develop India’s rivers as vibrant avenues for tourism, passenger motion and financial exercise.
The inauguration was attended by Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur; Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra; Delhi Public Works Department and Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh; Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra; Forest & Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and MP Manoj Tiwari, together with senior officers together with Vijay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways; Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, Delhi Government and Sushil Kumar Lohani, Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) amongst others from the Central and Delhi governments.
Speaking on the inauguration, Sarbananda Sonowal stated the challenge mirrored the federal government’s dedication to harnessing India’s huge inland waterways potential below the management of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s rivers and inland waterways are emerging as important drivers of economic growth, tourism and sustainable connectivity. The launch of Delhi’s first recreational cruise service on the Yamuna is another step towards reconnecting people with our rivers and unlocking their immense potential,’ he said.
‘This launch signals a new wave of river tourism in the city. We are transforming waterways into avenues for tourism, trade and livelihoods while advancing our commitment to cleaner and more efficient mobility. This is an important part of our vision of building a Viksit Bharat,” Sonowal added.
The challenge incorporates a 30-seater electrical cruise vessel providing guests a scenic expertise alongside an roughly 6-kilometre round-trip stretch of the river. The use of electric-powered vessels highlights the potential of inland waterways for clear and sustainable mobility.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated the initiative would add a brand new dimension to Delhi’s tourism panorama and strengthen public engagement with the Yamuna.
“The Yamuna is an integral part of Delhi’s history, culture and identity. This recreational cruise service will offer residents and visitors a new way to experience the river while creating fresh opportunities for tourism and local economic activity. Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we remain committed to developing Delhi’s riverfront as an attractive public destination, with better amenities, sustainable infrastructure and experiences that celebrate the city’s heritage,” Rekha Gupta stated.
Envisioned as a wider eco-tourism vacation spot, the Yamuna challenge features a vary of leisure sights and customer facilities. A key attraction is a musical fountain that includes a coordinated gentle and sound present depicting the historical past and religious significance of the Yamuna, together with its affiliation with Surya Dev, Yama and the divine leela of Shri Krishna, notably the legendary Kaliya Daman.
The vacation spot additionally features a meals courtroom, purchasing space, kids’s play zone and journey sports activities services, together with skating and mountain climbing. Modern floating jetties, devoted ticket counters and on-line reserving services, restrooms, ready areas and illuminated strategy pathways have been included to offer guests with a handy expertise.
The Yamuna has been designated as National Waterway-110 below the National Waterways Act, 2016. The launch of the cruise service marks an vital step in direction of creating the waterway for leisure navigation and river-based tourism within the nationwide capital.
The initiative is a part of a wider nationwide transformation of India’s inland waterways. Cargo motion on nationwide waterways has elevated from 18 million metric tonnes in 2013-14 to 218 million metric tonnes in 2025-26, reflecting the rising function of waterways within the nation’s logistics community. With freight motion costing an estimated Rs 1.06 per tonne-kilometre on waterways, in contrast with Rs 1.41 by rail and Rs 2.28 by highway, inland navigation provides a cheap different for transporting cargo.
River cruise tourism is one other rising dimension of this growth. The variety of river cruise vessels providing in a single day journeys has elevated from 5 in 2013-14 to 26 in 2025-26.Â
The landmark journey of MV Ganga Vilas was recognised within the Limca Book of Records because the world’s longest river cruise. Covering greater than 3,200 kms throughout India and Bangladesh, the journey related 50 vacationer locations, traversed two international locations, 5 states and 27 river techniques.
The Recreational Yamuna River Cruise Service has been developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India below the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in collaboration with the Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, Delhi Jal Board and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi authorities. (ANI)