GUWAHATI: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) dedicated to developing the Inland Waterways will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ATDC), and Directorate of Inland Water Transport (DIWT) Assam for the creation of a 'Riverine Based Tourism Circuit' along the Brahmaputra River on Friday.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal will be attending the signing ceremony.
The project will be constructed under the Sagarmala Programme with an initial cost of ₹40-45 crore.
SDCL and IWAI will contribute 55% of the project cost, while ATDC will provide the remaining funds. DIWT has also agreed to offer the usage of Ghats near the temples at no cost for the project.
The Sagarmala project aims to connect seven historic temples located in Guwahati including Kamakhya, Pandunath, Ashwaklanta, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar, and Auniati Satra.
The circuit will begin its journey from Hanuman Ghat Uzan Bazar and cover all the above temples through waterways. The ferry service connecting the points is expected to reduce the total travel time for completing one complete circuit to less than 2 hours.
On January 12, the Assam cabinet approved the introduction of ‘Sagarmala’, a Religious Tourism Circuit in Guwahati on the Brahmaputra that will make travelling convenient for people visiting religious sites in Assam.
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