Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off 'Ganga Vilas Cruise' on January 13 and preparations for the programme have started, district authorities said on Thursday.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the world's longest cruise tour from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh on January 13," the Information and Public Relations Department of Uttar Pradesh said in a tweet in Hindi.

The department said that the cruise after leaving Varanasi will pass through Ghazipur, Buxar and Patna before reaching Calcutta.

The cruise will stay in Bangladesh rivers for a fortnight and thereafter will return to India via Guwahati and reach Dibrugarh, the department said.

Though the administration is yet to receive any formal programme of Modi from the Prime Minister's Office, the district administration has already started the preparations.

Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma and District Magistrate S Rajalingam have given necessary instructions in this regard to the officials of Culture department, Tourism department and Inland Waterways Transport.

On Thursday Sharma said that the world's longest cruise from Varanasi to Dibrugarh will be flagged off on January 13.

The cruise will be flagged off from the jetty boarding point opposite to Ravidas Ghat.

According to official sources, Ganga Vilas Cruise will cover a total distance of 3,200 kms.

This will be the longest voyage in the world by a cruise. This journey will take a total of 50 days. On the way, this cruise will stop at more than 50 places, including World Heritage Sites.

He said that this vessel will also pass through national parks and sanctuaries. These include Sundarban Delta and Kaziranga National Park.

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