The first thing that springs to mind while thinking of houseboats is Srinagar’s Dal Lake. The mesmerising experience of living on a houseboat may now be had in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar, near the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity (Kevadiya).
The Statue of Unity has seen an estimated 8 billion visitors since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration in October 2018, and the ‘Ekta Houseboat’ is being constructed to provide a unique experience.
With a view of the Sardar Patel statue in the distance, the houseboat overlooks the seaplane runway on dike number 3 of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
“The project is on a PPP approach with private player,” assistant Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar Gupta “inspired by the popular tourism concept of houseboats on the Dal Lake in Kashmir.” “The state government has supplied private player with a space, and they are investing through a PPP model with a revenue sharing mechanism,” he explained.
The hull of the ‘Ekta Houseboat,’ a 90-20 foot houseboat designed in a Kashmiri style with two well-appointed bedrooms, two communal areas, a front deck, and an observation deck on top, is made of marine grade steel. It has a flameless kitchen, a fully powered DG, and a zero waste discharge system that has been authorised by the DRDO.
