VIJAYAWADA: In an effort to provide relief for the residents from busy life, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has come up with a proposal to set up a food court at Padmavathi Ghat as part of the riverfront tourism promotion. A resolution in this regard was approved at the council meeting held on Wednesday.
Spread over 1.1 km distance, the Padmavathi Ghat is the nearest point to Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) and is also part of Krishnalanka area.The State government has developed the ghat for Krishna Pushkaralu in 2016 and it served as a major bathing point for the pilgrims.
Since then, open space adjacent to the ghat was lying vacant where occasionally the AP Tourism Department officials in collaboration with Krishna district administration and VMC organised cultural programmes during the weekends.
Residents irrespective of age groups throng the ghat along with their families and have a gala time. Priority was given by the organisers to traditional and folk art forms like Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam.Several proposals were drafted by the VMC to set up food courts on its own but finally it was given to private persons on lease as it will become additional burden for the civic body.
Night Food Courts (NFC), an initiative of the then Police Commissioner AB Venkateswara Rao was launched initially at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium on December 24, 2014 to make the city’s nightlife a glitzy affair.
Buoyed by the response from the public, second food court was opened near BRTS Road, Satyanarayanapuram in February 2015. The night food courts have turned out to be the best night-out destination for families and non-locals who visit the city for various purposes. Passengers from the bus and railway stations directly head to night food courts to satiate their taste buds.
According to the information available with VMC officials, the corporation has invited bids from the companies to realise the project.Glory Advertisement Corporation and Jaan Entertainment Private Limited has filed the bids in December 2017. A team of officials scrutinised the bids quoted by the respective companies in which Jaan Entertainment Private Limited was found eligible in the evaluation of technical bids.
The company has quoted the bids at an estimated cost of `24 lakh per annum (three years tenure) for setting up the food court on the premises of Padmavathi Ghat.As per the agreement, the operator should take care of the construction and maintenance of the food court for a period of five years. Boat riding, play equipments for children, walking track along the river bed, landscaping, installation of benches and LED screens and water fountains will also be set up.
Play arena will be also developed on the premises and children are allowed to use it without any special fare. Based on the maintenance and response evoked from the residents on food courts, the corporation will also extend the agreement of the operator for next two years or else premises will be maintained by the VMC, they said.