Dhaka-Kolkata cruise service starts after 70 years

The cruise service in Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka water route has resumed after nearly 70 years. The service has started on test basis from Friday to facilitate journey of tourists under Bangladesh-India river protocol.

A ship of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) named ‘MV Modhumoti’ left the Mary Anderson VIP jetty at Pagla in Narayanganj at 7:30 pm on Friday. The ship will reach in Kolkata at 12 pm on March 31 through Barishal-Mongla-Sundarbans and India’s Holdia route. On the other hand Indian cruise ship ‘Ms RV Bengal Ganga’ left Kolkata for Dhaka on Friday.

The three-day one-way cost from Dhaka to Kolkata will be Tk 15,000 for a family suite (two-person cabin), Tk 5,000 per passenger for the first class, Tk 10,000 for the deluxe class (two persons), Tk 8,000 per passenger for the economy chair and Tk 1500 per passenger for deck or the shulov class.

Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner will be available in the ship and the passengers have to buy those. Visa, hotel booking and other journey related works have to be done by the traveler with their own expense. The traveler must have to declare about their route to return on the visa.

AH