Bhubaneswar, Jun 9 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday inaugurated the state's first houseboat on Chilika Lake.

Launching the luxury houseboat through video-conference, he said the facility would improve the tourism profile of the Chilika Lake, and attract both domestic and international travellers.

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Patnaik said the lake, a major bio-diversity hotspot of the country, has the potential to transform Odisha as a major tourist destination.

The houseboat, christened ‘Garuda', has been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured at an investment of more than Rs 3 crore.

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An initiative of Vikas Eco Resorts, the services of the houseboat will be available at Panthaniwas in Barkul, and later in Satapada, officials said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)