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Delhi to Soon Get Its First Cruise Service

2025-03-13

Following a change in the administration of the National Capital, Delhi, a much-anticipated cruise service on the Yamuna River between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur is set to begin soon. The Delhi government and the Central government officially signed an agreement on Tuesday to initiate the plan.

The river cruises are expected to begin operations in April, marking the start of the new financial year. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, has assured full support for the initiative, ensuring its successful implementation. The plan includes developing a 6-kilometre stretch as a tourist destination.

To formalise the proposal, an agreement was signed between the Delhi government’s tourism department, the Delhi Jal Board, the Delhi Development Authority, the Central government’s Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), and other stakeholders at Asita Park near ITO.

Union Minister Sonowal confirmed that the Central government had declared Yamuna as National Waterway 110 in 2016, and he assured that the government would improve the river’s depth if necessary to support cruise and ferry services.

Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena remarked that Yamuna had long been viewed as a drainage system, and if this agreement had been signed earlier, services would already be underway. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed excitement about the new cruise and ferry services, which would form a new chapter in Delhi's tourism.