Varanasi, September 2: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated Alaknanda, a 5-star luxury tourist cruise at Khidkiya Ghat in Varanasi during his two-day visit to the city on Sunday. This cruise will operate in river Ganga. A Kolkata-based company has developed the luxury cruise. The fully air-conditioned cruise is operated by the Nordic Cruise Line and will be able to accommodate 90 people.

The cruise is reported to have eco-friendly bio-toilets. Alaknanda is running on a 450 HP engine and has free Wi-Fi onboard. According to reports, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food will be served on the luxurious cruise. For ensuring passenger safety lifeguards are also deployed on it. People can also organise parties and even a wedding ceremony on the double-decker cruise. Audio-visual system facilities are also available for such events.

According to reports, passengers will be charged Rs 450 for a two-hour ride and Rs 750 per person for Kashi Darshan. The double-decker cruise will run between the famous Assi Ghat and Pachganga Ghat. The tourism department is planning to introduce more cruise more cruise services in Varanasi for promoting tourism in future. However, local boatmen protested against the cruise service. According to them, the service will hamper their livelihood.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2018 10:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).