The service will operate along the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch and is aimed at promoting river-based tourism while offering residents and visitors a new recreational experience in the national capital.
Delhi is set to launch its first recreational cruise service on the River Yamuna, with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal scheduled to inaugurate the service on November 10 in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
The service will operate along the 5-km Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch and is aimed at promoting river-based tourism while offering residents and visitors a new recreational experience in the national capital. The vessel can accommodate up to 30 passengers per trip.
The initiative marks a significant step in the development of National Waterway-110, the Yamuna stretch notified under the National Waterways Act, 2016. Trial runs of the cruise vessel were successfully conducted last month in the presence of senior officials from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and the Delhi Government.
The IWAI, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is leading the project as part of its broader effort to promote sustainable inland water transport and develop waterways as an integral component of urban mobility and tourism infrastructure. For the project, IWAI has partnered with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corp. (DTTDC), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Government of Delhi.
The cruise service is expected to strengthen public engagement with the Yamuna while expanding Delhi’s tourism offerings. The deployment of electric-powered vessels is also intended to demonstrate the potential of inland waterways as a clean and sustainable mobility solution.