Houseboat stays, boat rides on cards in U.P.’s Prayagraj
A local businessman proposes to invest ₹75 crore in river tourism at the ongoing Global Investors’ Summit in Lucknow
Tourists and locals alike would soon be able to enjoy stays and rides on well-embellished houseboats in Prayagraj. Lawayankala, located a few kilometres from Sangam in trans-Yamuna area, may look like a village but soon people will be seen here enjoying the best of river tourism on the Ganga that is dotted with island-like cropping of rocks and sand bases mid river in company of Gangetic dolphins.
Like in Dal Lake of Kashmir, tourists here will not only be able to enjoy boat rides but also stays complete with yummy snacks and food on board houseboats soon, courtesy a proposal to invest ₹75 crore floated by an investor Tanmay Kishore Agarwal at the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Global Investors’ Summit-2023.
“The ‘Ganga Dweep’ is envisioned as a river tourism project on an island in Gangapur and Dhuipur Kachhar areas of Lawayankala in Prayagraj. A Vedic tent city on the island, houseboats, floating jetties, boats and catamarans will be part of the project to showcase the Ganga dolphins and life along the holy Ganga,” said investor Tanmay Kishore Agarwal of Daraganj locality of Prayagraj.
The initiative will focus on spirituality, meditation, Ayurvedic and Yoga practices apart from hosting high-end Vedic weddings to spiritual discourses on river cruise that will take the holy experiences to a new level, he added.
To promote Yoga, a meditation centre will be opened here and another centre will be set up for Ayurveda treatments. We also plan to install gentle sound systems here through which tunes of devotional songs will be heard throughout the day.
The project would also provide direct employment to around 50 people, said Tanmay, who has submitted the investment intent form online through the state government designated ‘Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency’ located at PICUP Bhawan in Lucknow.
Regional tourism officer, Prayagraj, Aparajita Singh said her department has received a number of projects for cruises and other such initiatives. “We will look into the details of all proposals and assess them on their merit. Only those which meet the norms of not causing environmental pollution and adhere to set guidelines of the state government regarding cuisine to serve and other aspects would be given a go ahead,” she said.
