Delhi’s River Tourism Begins with the Launch of Yamuna Recreational Cruise Service

Delhi took a significant step towards expanding its river-based tourism offerings with the inauguration of its first recreational Yamuna River Cruise service on the Yamuna by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at Sonia Vihar here today.

Developed along the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch, the initiative aims to unlock the tourism and recreational potential of the Yamuna while offering residents and visitors a new way to experience the national capital. The launch also marks another milestone in the Centre’s efforts to develop India’s rivers as vibrant avenues for tourism, passenger movement and economic activity.

The inauguration was attended by Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur; Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra; Public Works Department and Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh; Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra; Forest & Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and MP Manoj Tiwari, along with senior officials including Vijay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways; Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, Delhi Govt and Sushil Kumar Lohani, Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) among others from the Central and Delhi governments.

Speaking at the inauguration, Sarbananda Sonowal said the project reflected the government’s commitment to harnessing India’s vast inland waterways potential under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Yamuna has been designated as National Waterway-110 under the National Waterways Act, 2016. The launch of the cruise service marks an important step towards developing the waterway for recreational navigation and river-based tourism in the national capital.

The initiative is part of a wider national transformation of India’s inland waterways. Cargo movement on national waterways has increased from 18 million metric tonnes in 2013-14 to 218 million metric tonnes in 2025-26, reflecting the growing role of waterways in the country’s logistics network. With freight movement costing an estimated ₹1.06 per tonne-kilometer on waterways, compared with ₹1.41 by rail and ₹2.28 by road, inland navigation offers a cost-effective alternative for transporting cargo.(updated on 10th Nov 2026)