THE TELEGRAPH
The amusement park at Ranka
Gangtok, Dec. 28: The Sikkim government has invited fresh tenders for the management and maintenance of the amusement park at Ranka, which is yet to be opened for public after its inauguration by the President eight months ago.
The Rs 55-crore project has been touted a major tourist attraction and a much-needed recreational centre for people in and around Gangtok. This is the third time tenders are being invited to run the Kanchenjungha tourist-villa-cum-socio cultural amusement park.
The tourism department, which was entrusted to lease the park, last week sought bids with minimum base price of Rs 3 crore for the commercial operation, management and maintenance of the facility from interested parties. January 27 is the last date for the submission of the tenders and anyone with business assets worth Rs 10 crore can bid.
According to the terms outlined by the tourism department, the initial lease period of the park will be 15 years and it might be extended for five more years based on the performance of the operator. The lease amount will be increased at five per cent per annum from the fifth year onwards till the termination of the contract.
The tourism department has indicated that the park at Ranka, 35km from here, will be operational from April 2011. The park was inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil during her three-day tour of Sikkim in April.
The park had been dogged by controversies even before it was inaugurated with the state BJP unit alleging massive corruption in its construction undertaken under the supervision of the rural development department.
When the first tender was invited, it was bagged by master con man Rajesh Jhunjhunwala from Calcutta, who nearly bagged the contract for the park on the basis of fake bank documents.
After Jhunjhunwala’s audacious plot had been exposed, the rural development department invited tenders for the second time in September and a local enterprise bagged the contract at an annual lease amount of Rs 155 lakh.
However, the cabinet cancelled the contract and handed over the responsibility to run the park to the tourism department.
The cabinet took the decision as all government-created assets for visitors were transferred to the tourism department for proper management and it felt that similar arrangement was needed for the Ranka park also.
The park, spread over 17.5 acres, is a unique tourism attraction fusing cultural ethos of Sikkim with modern amusement amenities with the objective of providing wholesome entertainment to the visitors to the Himalayan state. The facility has 12 shopping arcades to sell handicrafts and other souvenirs of Sikkim.
There are also other facilities like musical fountain with laser shows, open air theatre, ride simulators, swimming pool, bar and bowling alleys.
Once the park is opened, it will turn into a major rendezvous for people of Gangtok who have limited options now to spend their idle time with their family. Most of the attractions are tourism-centric and far from the capital.
No comments:
Post a Comment