Delhi Plans Yamuna River Cruise For Tourism Boost

The BJP government aims to reinvigorate the Yamuna River and attract tourists by initiating cruise and ferry services. Initiating plans include using solar-powered boasts on a seven-kilometre stretch between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur. The project consists of collaboration with numerous agencies and is expected to begin by the end of 2025.

Riding high on the big electoral mandate from Delhiites, the newly formed BJP government has set its sights on realising its long list of poll promises one by one. The latest among them is the revitalisation of the Yamuna River and its transformation into a tourism hub. The city government has begun preparing to set up cruise rides on the Yamuna River to develop the stretch near the Wazirabad barrage into a distinct tourism destination. It plans to set up cruise rides in the capital by rolling our ferries and boat taxi services.

The Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation is understood to have already requested a quotation to engage a private operator to run solar battery-powered cruises on the seven-kilometre stretch between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur. The DTTDC has also invited proposals from private players with prior experience in cruise travel to kick off cruise service on the river.

As per the proposal, the project will involve active collaboration between the Inland Waterways Authority of India, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Jal Board, and the irrigation and flood control departments. Once operational, the cruise service will see bustling tourism activity on the river. Reports suggest that the project could see the light of day as early as April 2025, the deadline for finalising the operating agency, while the cruise service is expected to kick start by the end of the year. Initially, two electric solar hybrid boats will be deployed for the ferry service, and they will have an accommodation capacity of about 20-30 passengers. The boats will be air-conditioned and operate throughout the year, barring the Monsoon season. Notably, Yamuna River became one of the central poll planks in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, with ruling AAP and Opposition BJP engaging in bitter verbal spats over its cleaning. The river, particularly its Delhi stretch, has increasingly come under the scanner over frothy and toxic water in the past few years.

While AAP blamed previous dispensations for the accumulating filth, the BJP blamed it on the ruling party's ignorance while also making tall promises, such as that if elected to power, it would develop the Yamuna riverfront on the lines of the Sabarmati front in Gujarat.

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