Varanasi, Jun 1 (IANS): Varanasi will have water taxi service on the Ganga River from June 15.

Divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said, "A water taxi service will be started by introducing two motorboats in the Ganga river from June 15. A team of two officials is being sent to Cochin for training of operations of water taxis.

"Before they return, the company operating cruise service in the Ganga has been asked to operate the water taxis to estimate the cost of operations."

The two water taxis will start operating between Ramnagar and Namo Ghat, while after the end of flood season in September, four more such taxis will be introduced.

Additional municipal commissioner Sumit Kumar said that the water taxis of maximum 86 passenger capacity each will operate between Ramnagar fort and Namo Ghat.

"The stoppages of this taxi will be at Assi, Dashashwamedh and Rajghat. The fare will be equal to that prescribed by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation for boats operating in the Ganga. After introduction of two river taxis on June 15, four more taxis would also be introduced to Ganga after the flood season," he said.

The divisional commissioner said that the completion of work of operationalising the jetty at Kashi Vishwanath Dham's Ganga Dwar entry point would also be completed soon and the pilgrims will be able to reach KV Dham by water taxis. Apart from six water taxis, four more boats of the same category have also been received and would be utilised for ambulances or transporting bodies for cremation.