Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh visits Yamuna, takes boat ride

Cleaning the Yamuna has been a key promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the national capital, with the river frequently witnessing toxic foam in certain areas. The issue has sparked allegations between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP over the river's condition during campaign.

With the BJP-led government in power, on March 2, the Delhi government announced plans to enhance tourism and promote sustainable water transport by introducing a ferry and cruise service along a 7-8 km stretch of the Yamuna. The service will operate between Wazirabad Barrage (Sonia Vihar) and Jagatpur (Shani Temple).

The Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) has floated a request for proposals (RFP) to select an operator for the two solar-powered cruise ships. Prospective bidders are required to submit pre-qualification, technical, and financial proposals within the stipulated timeline.

"Request for Proposal (RFP) are invited for operation of cruise/ferry services in Yamuna River through e-procurement system of GNCTD for five years," read the Request for Proposal (RFP) by DTTDC for ferry/cruise operation on Delhi stretch of River Yamuna, National Waterway - 110.

The cruise or ferry service will be permitted to run for 270 days out of 365 days a year, and necessary NOCs were obtained from the Delhi Jal Board and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department.

DTTDC's RFP stated, "The request for proposals (RFP) is open to capable agencies. Interested bidders must submit their pre-qualification, Technical, and Financial Proposals in separate sealed envelopes. The proposals will be evaluated based on a set of criteria outlined in the RFP, and the successful bidder will be selected based on their highest revenue share offer payable to DTTDC."

The operator will be selected through a two-stage bidding process. The successful bidder will be determined by the highest revenue share offer payable to DTTDC.