enJoy Boating at GANGA

Bored with the routine, dull life in Patna? Relax. The Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) is going to introduce boating on river Ganga so that picnickers could have a chance to indulge in fun and frolic to break their monotonous lifestyles. The BSTDC will engage two eight-seater motorboats on the weekends to ferry picnickers to a river island located near the Gandhi Setu. The river island will have adequate arrangements for rest, recreation and eatables. Besides, it will also offer picnickers a host of games like volleyball, flying disc and ring ball to recreate themselves. Picnickers can buy mouth-watering food stuffs like samosas, noodles and a variety of light snacks at nominal rates. Mineral water, ice cream, tea and coffee will also be available for them at Gandhi Ghat from where they would commence their trip. Picnickers will have the option of buying food items and sports coupon either at the Gandhi ghat or at the river island. The BSTDC has made an ambitious plan to focus on Ganga ghats in Patna to promote them as major tourist destinations. The motorboat picnic, which will commence on Saturday, will be formally inaugurated by tourism minister Nand Kishore Yadav at Gandhi Ghat near the engineering college on Friday evening. Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, BSTDC CMD Rajesh Bhushan said: "Initially, we will provide these facilities on Saturdays and Sundays from 10.30 am in the morning till 4.30 pm in the evening." Priced at Rs 50 per person, the tickets for boat ride will be available in BSTDC's hotel Kautilya Vihara, Chandra Gupta Jal Vihara, near Moinul Haq stadium, Patna airport counter of the BSTDC and at Gandhi Ghat. The BSTDC will also provide free pickup-cum-drop service to a group of 14 or more picnickers. It will also make en bloc reservations in this regard. The BSTDC also has plans to provide these boats on chartered bookings on weekdays as well, Bhushan said. Each motorboat is fitted with a Yamaha 25 HP air-cooled two-stroke engine. Each boat is also equipped with individual life jackets for passengers (eight life jackets per boat). In addition, each boat will have two floating tubes to cope with any emergency situation. One section of police force will also be deployed on the river island for maintaining law and order during the period of picnicking. The BSTDC has also decided to introduce a 48-seater floating restaurant in the river from August. This restaurant will have a viewing gallery and a dining hall. The BSTDC will also develop certain Ganga ghats as a proper venue for offering prayers, on the pattern of the ones existing in Varanasi where "Sandhya Ganga Aarti" has proved to be an extremely popular event, he said.