Ahmedabad's riverfront snippets

The riverfront is all set to stretch way beyond the bustling parts of the city. The Sabarmati River Front Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL) plans to double its length from the original plan, thanks to a booming Ahmedabad seeing growth along the Motera-Indira Bridge stretch. The original plan was to develop the 10.6 km stretch between Vasna and Dafnala and invest Rs 1,500 crore in it. If all goes according to plan, the project will now stretch up to Karai, on the outskirts of Gandhinagar. The costs too will more than double, reaching Rs 3,500 crore. State urban development minister Nitin Patel said, “The project will be extended in the second phase to cater to the growing city.” The price of real estate has gone up substantially near Motera over the past couple of years. Even interior villages, like Koteshwar along the riverbank, have seen development. SRFDCL officials said the technical report is ready and the proposal to extend the riverfront has been forwarded to the revenue and urban departments for final approval. Officials said initially they were looking at a possibility of extending the project right up to Gandhinagar, but since there was no provision to have around-the-year water in the river there, it was decided to end it at Karai. Work on constructing the retainer wall has started. Officials were not ready to give details on the kind of development they had planned for the extended portion but said it would have everything, from gardens to commercial spaces and entertainment zones.