VARANASI: A boat ride on Ganga for experiencing the mystical tranquility of sunrise or enjoy the divine view of the majestic evening ‘Aarti’ tops the must-do list of believers thronging the holy city.
But the visuals were marred by high decibel noise of the diesel engines powering the boats and itchy eyes caused by black exhaust fumes containing unburnt fuel that impacted aquatic life.
Not any longer.
Today 90% of these boats are powered by engines running on clean-burning CNG (compressed natural gas), thanks to a retrofitting scheme launched by the oil ministry and being funded by state-run gas utility GAIL.
The company has retrofitted 585 of the 647 registered diesel-powered boats since the conversion began in December 2021. It is expected that with time the 1,153 registered rowing boats will also convert to CNG. GAIL has also set up a first-of-its-kind floating CNG station to make refuelling easy for boatmen and a second is being planned at Ravidas ghat.
"In July last year, the prime minister had desired that boats on holy Ganga should be run on CNG… Varanasi is among the oldest cities in the world (and it is) where tradition mixes with modernity," oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Sunday before flagging off a CNG boat rally to spread awareness about energy transition, one of the themes of next month’s India Energy Week conference that coincides with India’s presidency of G20 grouping.
"More people are opting for boat rides now as CNG engines are quieter and does not cause eye irritation. Sometimes it means more trips,” boatman Rajkumar Sahni said.
"Our calculations show that switching to CNG leads to annual savings of Rs 25,000 for each boatman,” Puri said, adding work on the second CNG station will begin once the state government provides land.
There are collateral benefits of the floating CNG station as it has become a major tourist attraction. Passengers can take the river route in CNG-fired boats to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, a recent temple access initiative. The project also includes two passenger jetties made from robust high-density polyethylene and a floating bridge at the Varanasi Khidkiya Ghat river access point.
