New Delhi, Nov. 10 -- A recreational cruise service on the Yamuna between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur will be launched on Tuesday, with Union ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta expected to inaugurate it. The 30-passenger electric vessel will cover approximately 6km, with a round trip taking 35 to 45 minutes. Visitors will pay Rs.50 to enter the premises and Rs.500 for the cruise. Facilities developed along the river include food kiosks, a restaurant, a children's zone and other amenities. The project aims to promote river-based tourism on the Yamuna, designated National Waterway-110 under the National Waterways Act, 2016. The Union ministry said on Monday that trial runs were conducted last month in the presence of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Delhi government officials. "The development of the recreational river cruise service along the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch of the Yamuna river in Delhi marks a step towards harnessing the potential of this National Waterway for recreational navigation and river-based tourism," the ministry said. Gupta inspected the trials on October 26 and said the project would offer residents a new way to engage with the river. She also emphasised the need to keep the Yamuna clean and protect its ecology. The government said the project complied with National Green Tribunal requirements and environmental standards. However, the launch has renewed questions about whether the service can operate throughout the year, particularly during the summer when water levels fall sharply. In May, HT reported that the cruise vessel was stranded in a small pool of water after parts of the river channel dried up. The water level had fallen below 668.4ft, leaving shallow pools and narrow streams that could not accommodate heavy vessels. The Yamuna routinely experiences exposed sandy beds and reduced flows in May and June before monsoon flooding. Experts have questioned the viability of recreational navigation without adequate environmental flows, citing earlier unsuccessful water-taxi proposals. Bhim Singh Rawat, a Yamuna activist and member of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, said restoring the river should take priority over tourism. "The river is struggling to get a basic minimum environmental flow. Barely 350 cusecs of water is being released from the Hathinikund," he said. Rawat urged authorities to study river depth and undertake an environmental impact assessment before operating boats, warning that the project could affect aquatic life. He said an earlier proposal for water taxis along the stretch had failed for similar reasons....