Ahmedabadis’ dream of a much talked about floating restaurant on the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad is about to hit reality soon. AMC has been trying to set up two floating restaurants in Gujarat before the Assembly elections are announced.
Previously, the idea was to set up a floating restaurant on the west riverfront with a capacity to serve 50 to 100 people. In the AMC, BJP then came up with the idea of two floating restaurants so that people in the eastern part of the city would not stay away from the developments made.
Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRDCL) is one of the two qualified companies in the city to implement the project. The scrutiny process is expected to be completed soon following which two companies will be selected. Companies must operate the restaurant within six months of the work order.
The application was called for October 2021 with the intention of making River Cruise and Floating Restaurant operational by March of this year.
It is learned that two companies are in the race to get the project. One of them is involved in the travel business while the other is a local restaurant chain.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner RK Mehta told the media, “It has been decided to develop two floating restaurants on the Sabarmati riverfront and applications from companies are being scrutinized. Work order will be given after opening the bid. It will take six months to develop the restaurant after final approval. “
Bids were first invited seven years ago to develop a floating restaurant, and one company showed interest. However, it did not reach the final stage as AMC officials failed to assure the company of maintaining sufficient water levels to keep the restaurant running. The project was then postponed. In 2019, SRDCL again proposed a restaurant and river cruise project. Several companies made representations to officials but the plan was delayed due to covid.
