THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited (KTIL), the nodal agency entrusted with the development of the urban entertainment facilities at Veli Tourist Village, is likely to extend the last date to submit bids as part of the tender process.
This comes after no company came up expressing interest in participating in the bidding process. The last date for submitting the bids was July 10.Sources said the three companies which participated in the pre-bid meeting would also seek an extension of the date as they need to prepare the documents regarding the bidding process.
According to Chandru Rajan, co-founder, Trivandrum Development Front, an NGO working for the development of the capital city, the date should be extended so that more companies could take part in the bidding process. “ We have also participated in the pre-bid meeting. This project is massive. It could be a gamechanger. So, more companies have to participate in the bidding process and KTIL should extend the date. We really want to see this project as a reality”, Chandru Rajan said.
However, KG Mohanlal, managing director, KTIL, told Express that the decision on extending the date or re-tendering has not been taken so far.“Since no companies took part in the bid, we will make a decision only later. We have not decided anything about it yet,” said Mohanlal.
Earlier, there was information that a major entertainment hub operator in South India would take part in the bidding process for the project to be implemented in Public-Private Participation (PPP) mode.
Initially, an amusement park was proposed at Veli. Abu Dhabi-based Southern Fun City (SFC) had expressed its willingness, but the project hit a major roadblock owing to fund crunch.
A foundation stone was also laid in the site in 2001. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 82.80 crore. However, there is no restriction on higher investments based on the concessionaire’s market assessment subject to the application of development controls and approval of project components. In the second phase, the project will have shopping zones and multiplex theatres.
The site is located next to Veli Tourism Village, on its eastern side. The Veli-Shangumugham Road adjacent to the site provides a better road connectivity. Facilities near the site include water sports in the lake and an 18-acre waterfront park.