Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Mathura and Vrindavan would be linked to cruise services by developing a waterway on the Yamuna River to promote religious tourism.

On Monday, after an event at Shankaracharya Ashram in Govardhan, he said the experience of travelling by cruise ship would also attract tourists to Agra and Mathura.

He was answering a question from Shankaracharya Adhokshajanand Deo Tirth about the work done by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to promote tourism in the region. “Gokul, Mathura and Vrindavan will be connected by developing a waterway on the Yamuna River,” Sonowal said, adding that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met him recently about the plan.

He also heard feedback from officials in his department on the progress of the Centre’s “Har Ghar Jal” project in the area.