Hyderabad: No takers for Gandipet project

Hyderabad: Although the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has invited tenders thrice already towards the Gandipet beautification works, no bidders participated in the auction to bag the project for which, the state government accorded an administrative sanction of Rs 100 crore one year ago.

After the government accorded the administrative sanction, the HMDA embarked on the process of initiating a series of works aimed at the protection and beautification of the water body which has been Hyderabad’s lifeline for decades.

As part of the development and beautification process, the HMDA first decided to construct a bund and set up a grill mesh around the lake at an estimated cost of Rs 18 crore.

And even though it invited tenders thrice to take up the bund and grill mesh works covering 25 km of the 48 km periphery of Gandipet, agencies claimed that the project would be not viable and therefore did not participate in the bidding process.

According to HMDA officials, this particular stretch of the periphery was chosen first as it happened to be the lake’s entrance and was most frequented by people. A popular picnic spot, the stretch is more prone to visitors littering the place with leftover food bits and trash. Additionally, the HMDA has also planned to set up a walking track, a cycling track, road formation, chain link mesh fencing, street lighting, shoreline strengthening, and landscaping covering 25 km along the Osman Sagar periphery. Authorities said that if everything works out as planned, then Gandipet lake will host visitor amenities like a revolving restaurant, cable car, houseboats, night camping space, and food courts.

A senior HMDA official on condition of anonymity said that the municipal authority was planning to change the eligibility criteria. He said that although so far, they have only been considering the proposals involving leasing out and taking up the project under public-private partnerships, they are now seriously contemplating taking up the entire project in partnership with private institutions, and added that a meeting would be held soon enough to take a call in this regard.