In an attempt to make the Ganga river pollution-free in Varanasi, the Uttar Pradesh government will replace the existing diesel engine boats with CNG-run boats soon.
The upgrade will be made at an estimated cost of Rs 34 crore and will be the first in the world on such a large scale.
Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal told news persons in Lucknow on Friday that GAIL (India) Limited had taken up the responsibility of making the Ganga river free of pollution under Corporate Social Responsibility project.
Pegged at Rs 34 crore, as many as 1,700 small and big boats with CNG engines will be made operational. While a small CNG engine-fitted boat will cost around Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000, a big boat will come at a cost of Rs 2 lakh.
