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Kolkata to use the Ganga to
promote river tourism
The city of Kolkata in the state
of West Bengal in India is all set to
promote river tourism.
15 March, 2007
When the ambitious plan drawn up by
the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT)
materialises, tourists will have the
unique bliss of sailing the waterways
that connect Kolkata – ‘the City of
Joy’ – with many destinations along
the famed, sacred river Ganga, which
is called the Hooghly in Kolkata.
“We have decided to embark on river
tourism and coastal tourism from
Kolkata Port. In coastal tourism,
several tourist destinations like the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puri in
Orissa, and the Sagar Islands of
Sundarbans will be connected with
Kolkata through the waterways,” A K
Chanda, chairman of the Kolkata Port
Trust, says.
KoPT also has plans to introduce
luxury boats for tourists from Kolkata
to West Bengal’s districts like
Murshidabad, Malda and Nadia. All
these three districts are rich in
historical importance and have emerged
as tourism hotspots for people coming
from different parts of the world.
These districts are also connected by
the same national waterway – the Ganga.
Kolkata Port is the only port in India
that is connected through river. All
other ports in the country are
seaports.
“We have started rejuvenating canals
which are linked with the Ganga. KoPT
has also allotted land to a private
company, near the Millennium Park, to
run a cruise service from Kolkata to
the Sundarbans, a global heritage that
has developed as a perfect place for
eco-tourism,” explains A K Chanda.
Paramhansa, an air-conditioned vessel,
is now ready to start its journey with
100 people on board.
The state government of West Bengal
has set up a committee, headed by the
chairman of the Kolkata Port Trust and
with representatives from the tourism
departments of West Bengal, Orissa and
the Andamans as members, with a view
to encouraging coastal tourism from
Kolkata.
“We are looking for global partners to
join in this venture. Talks are on
with the Singapore-based Star Cruise
and the Viking River Cruise of the
United States. We want them to run
vessels of international standard on
the Ganga, connecting several
important tourist destinations,”
according to an official of the
Kolkata Port Trust.
The Port Trust has already given
permission to a private river
transport company to operate their
vessels from the Outram Ghat jetty in
Kolkata for local sightseeing.
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