Hot-air balloon trips at Kankaria get delayed

If you have been expecting to enjoy the hot-air balloon ride at Kankaria during the Diwali vacation, then you have to hold your plans for now. The new hot-air balloon which was supposed to arrive from London by September is held up there, thanks to delay in completion of insurance procedure.

An AMC official said, "Though the balloon is ready for delivery, it is the insurance procedure which is delaying the arrival." The balloon will be arriving from London at a cost of Rs3 crore.

A dust storm in June had caused a puncture in the helium balloon at Kankaria, and since then it has not been made functional.

Deputy municipal commissioner (south zone) MS Patel said, "The hot-air balloon is still stuck in some insurance procedure. Part of the payment is yet to be cleared by the operating company and some query by the insurance company has to be clarified."

He said that all other procedures, including obtaining import licence for import of an aircraft from the Directoroate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), have been completed. The import of a hot-air balloon is treated as "import of aircraft".

The civic body had received an NOC from the DGCA recently for importing the ho-air balloon after which the import licence was received.

Though it is not known when the hot-air balloon will arrive, it is definitely sure that once it arrives, thousands of Amdavadis will flock to Kankaria to enjoy the amusing ride.