COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) will soon launch boat rides and water sports in Valankulam and Periyakulam tanks at Ukkadam under the Smart City Projects at a cost of `1 crore. The civic body recently awarded a tender for the project recently. The contract will be valid for 2 years, said sources.
The CCMC has been carrying out beautification and developmental works in several water bodies in the city including the Periyakulam, Valankulam, Muthannankulam, Krishnampathy Lake, Selvampathy Kumarasamy lake, Selvachinthamani lake, Kuruchi lake, etc., for the past few years under the Smart City Projects mission.
As part of the project, the CCMC had planned to introduce boat rides and water games like jet skis in the revamped Valakulam and Periyakulam.
While boat rides and water sports project in the Periyakulam will be implemented and maintained by the CCMC, the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) will handle them in Valankulam on a revenue-sharing basis. The latter currently operated boat rides in Ooty, Pykara, Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Muttukadu, Pichavaram, etc. The TTDC will share 30% of revenue with the CCMC. Meanwhile, the CCMC will also be generating revenue by renting out the shops built on the banks of the water bodies.
CCMC Deputy Commissioner Dr M Sharmila said seven types of boats would be procured at a cost of one crore. "Two Kayaks, 4 Aquacycles, 2 Jet Skis, 1 Twelve-seater family boat, 1 High-density Polyethylene (HDPE) boat, 1 motorboat and 6 pedal boats will be procured for the water rides and sports in both the water bodies. Life jackets will be provided to each and every person boarding the boat for safety purposes. The contractor has been instructed to ensure the boats are equipped with life jackets and other safety gear such as lifebuoys (ring buoy), ropes, etc. Currently, we haven't fixed any timings or rates for the rides. They will be fixed in the upcoming days once the project works commences" she added.