Assam: Floating resort in Bogibeel boosting tourism in the state

Kanchenjunga floating resort in Bogibeel has been attracting thousands of tourists and promoting water tourism in Assam. 

In its short span of existence, this floating resort near the banks of the Brahmaputra river in Bogibeel has been successful in providing direct and indirect employment to over 150 local unemployed youths & enabled to promotion of water tourism in the state as these boats having restaurants & luxury rooms are the first-weekend choice for the families residing in Dibrugarh of Assam & parts of Arunachal on either side. 

Union Ministery also applauded the floating restaurant which is built on the vacant land of Railways near the banks of river Brahmaputra.

Gautam Bordoloi a social activist cum local entrepreneur of Dibrugarh started this floating Kanchanjunga resort before covid pandemic in 2019 and now paying a tune of around Rs 1,00,000 (one lakh) per month to the Railways as revenue. 

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Gautam Bordoloi is an inspiration to other Assamese youths to follow in his footsteps and, thereby, contribute to creating a self-reliant Assam by promoting water tourism in the state. 

Gautam provided the opportunity to the deprived owners of ferry boats who all lost their livelihood after this Bogibeel bridge got inaugurated, earlier they ply their boats in transporting people and vehicles through this Bogibeel river. 

In recent months, this floating restaurant has been developed as a path-breaking site for river tourism. 

Tourist-cum-cargo IWT Terminal worth Rs 46.6 crore is also being developed at Bogibeel. 
Earlier. 

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of the Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) terminal to be developed at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, by the bank of the River Brahmaputra (National Waterways 2).

Once developed, this terminal is likely to play a pivotal role in rejuvenating inland waterways transportation in the region for both cargo and passenger movement, paving the way for the growth of trade & commerce.
 
These floating restaurants on boats in Assam move towards rejuvenating inland waterways transport in the region by further bolstering the capital infrastructure at Bogibeel. Prime Minister Modi appreciates this movement towards the enablement of waterways transportation as a transformational factor.

Speaking to India Today ne exclusively Gautam Bordoloi said, "We must all honor the immense potential of ‘Mahabahu Brahmaputra’ and utilize it in the best possible way to further efficient development & progress without alluding to any ecological or economic cost. Given the historic role that Dibrugarh played as the hub of inland waterways in the past, I believe that this water tourism at Bogibeel will act as a catalyst towards reclaiming the lost glory of Dibrugarh as a major commercial hub & become a harbinger of growth for upper Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in the days to come.”

Under the Prime Minister’s “Act East Policy," the MoPSW and IWAI have been making transformational changes in the Waterways sector in India over the last 9 years. These measures have led to exceptionally remarkable changes in the country. To develop Waterways in the North Eastern Region, IWAI has been making all efforts to maintain the fairway in river Brahmaputra by dredging and other river conservancy works.

The Gati Shakti plan is exactly the key to unlocking the huge potential of inland water transportation in Assam using National Waterways 2 on our river Brahmaputra. We must tap this opportunity and build an economic advantage which will power the whole of Northeast India as the New Engine of growth for India,

This Kanchanjunga resort provides all the facilities for families to come and enjoy the view of mighty Brahmaputra, enjoy local delicacies at food courts and on the boat, travel in the boat by paying 300 rs per person, take selfies for memories in a titanic pose on the boat. 

This is a no-alcohol zone and the management is providing security to check any untoward incident.