Immigration desks on the Ganga: UP's first international cruise terminal is planned for Samne Ghat

Varanasi is set to get Uttar Pradesh's first international cruise terminal, and the site chosen is Samne Ghat on the Ganga. The Varanasi Municipal Corporation is handing about two acres — roughly 8,094 square metres — to the Inland Waterways Authority of India, which will build and run the terminal at an estimated cost of ₹200 crore. What has been described so far is a full river gateway rather than a jetty. Immigration and customs counters are part of the design, along with metal detectors and baggage scanners, CCTV coverage, passenger lounges, a cafeteria, duty-free shopping, vehicle parking and step-free access for visitors with disabilities. At full use the building is meant to handle about 10,000 passengers at a time — roughly three and a half times the floor area of Kochi's Sagarika cruise terminal, which covers 2,253 square metres. For the city, the promise is a proper waterfront arrival point: cruise passengers stepping off at Kashi rather than flying in, and an inland water route running downstream towards Haldia in Bengal. A detailed project report is being prepared at the authority's headquarters, and the land process is to follow. Nothing sails yet — but for a city whose front door has always been the river, the paperwork has finally started moving in that direction.

Compiled by HelloBanaras from public sources: Amar Ujala — Varanasi