Now, AMC floats international bids for floating restaurants

After having failed to manage an efficient domestic partner, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has now invited international bids for the proposed floating restaurant in the Sabarmati. 

The AMC's hunt for an international partner to provide Ahmedabad its first floating restaurant, comes after the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation (SRFDCL) - a special purpose vehicle floated by the AMC - failed to attract domestic players for starting a floating restaurant under the Sabarmati riverfront project. 

Some of the domestic players who had come forward in the earlier bids were reluctant to start the service, as there was no guarantee from the AMC regarding managing the required water level to start a floating restaurant in the river. If everything goes as per plan, Ahmedabad will be the second Indian city to have a floating restaurant in a river, after the Hooghly river in Kolkata.

"Currently, we look forward to have floating restaurants in two places - one near Sardar Bridge and another near Nehru Bridge, in the Sabarmati riverfront development project. But as this concept is still new to Gujarat, we preferred to study proposals given by companies and experts, so that we could introduce good quality floating restaurants in Ahmedabad," said an SRFDCL official.

The official said that they plan to have floating restaurants in big and open, cruise-like boats. A free ferry service will be provided to the citizens to reach the floating restaurants.