NEW DELHI: Come March, you can plan a river cruise from Kolkata to Dhaka and Guwahati through Ganga, Padma and Brahmaputra. India and Bangladesh on Thursday finalised and accepted the standard operating procedure for movement of passengers cruise vessels, paving the way for starting this operation.
Bangladesh shipping secretary Abdus Samsah said private players will be allowed to operate river cruise between the two countries, which will cover about 1,539 km. Both sides also agreed to allow private operators to run coastal cruise from Chennai to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
Sources said Kolkata-based Heritage Cruise which operates Ganga Voyager in India has proposed to run the first vessel on the river route in the last week of March. “We are hopeful of more players showing interest. The route passes through Sundarbans and other scenic areas. It will be a life time experience ,” said a shipping ministry official.
After a secretary level talks between the two country, Indian shipping secretary Gopal Krishna said the two countries signed an agreement to use the Chattogram and Mongla ports in Bangladesh for movement of goods to and from India, which will strengthen ties.
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