Fishermen opposing cruise liner in Varanasi reaches Parliament

The newly inaugurated luxury cruise service in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi is fast becoming a contentious issue for destroying the livelihood of fishermen.

The issue reverberated in the parliament on Friday as Vishambhar Prasad Nishad of Samajwadi Party asked the government to take note of fishermen's movement and change the route of the double decker cruise liner.

The fishermen that have strong presence along the ghats of Varanasi have been protesting against the cruise service for the past one week. Besides taking people for Kashi Darshan on Ganga, they also catch fishes as source of their livelihood. In 2014 elections, the fishermen community had voted for PM Modi.

"Over 2000 fishermen boats ply in the Ganga everyday. But their livelihood is getting destroyed because of cruise liner and they are on the verge of starvation. It is all because the cruise liner Alaknanda instead of plying on its designated route is plying between Assi Ghat and Ramghat route," said Nishad.

Seeking PM Modi's intervention, Nishad demanded to renew the old method of giving license to the fishermen and also give them reservation in Varanasi Jal Police.

To bring Varansai on the world map of tourism, PM Modi had inaugurated the Luxury Cruise Service amid much fanfare on the Independence day this year. Fast becoming a major tourist attraction, Alaknanda Cruise Liner service cost Rs. 750 per person for Kashi Darshan. It is also available for wedding ceremonies and corporate meetings.

In near future, depending on the water level in Ganga, the service is likely to be expanded and run between Kaithi to Chunar.