Vadodara: Boating resumes in Sursagar after 12 years

VADODARA: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) formally resumed boating in Sursagar on Friday.
The recreational facility has been jinxed since the 1993 tragedy when 22 persons died after the boat capsized in the pond located in the heart of the city.
The VMC’s standing committee had recently cleared a proposal to restart boating and a contractor was also identified. The corporation got bids for the facility only in the fourth attempt as none one qualified in the first three.
After the 1993 tragedy, VMC restarted the boating facility in 2010 and the inauguration itself turned out to be frightful with three persons, including two corporators, falling into the pond when the boat tilted as they were trying to board.
One of the corporators, Nanda Joshi, is now the deputy mayor. Joshi took the inaugural ride in a boat on Friday. The facility was shut after a few days for maintenance, but never restarted.
Sursagar was subsequently renovated and VMC started mulling over the service again. The terms and conditions as well as other policy matters were finalised by the VMC’s general board in January after which the bids were invited.
The vendor has agreed to share 55% of the actual ticket collection with VMC after deduction of taxes.
The general board of the VMC has given a nod for ticket prices of Rs 50 for people over the age of 12 years and Rs 25 for children up to 12 years of age.