6 days Ago
Vadodara: The ambitious project to develop Lal Court in the heart of the city, into a magnificent city museum that would showcase the rich cultural heritage of the region has hit a roadblock. The elected wing of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) insists that it should be taken up only with fresh grants from the state govt for the project. The standing committee sent back a proposal for the appointment of a contractor to develop the museum.
The administrative wing of the VMC conducted a tendering process and identified an agency for work on the museum. Earlier, on a couple of occasions, the standing committee cleared different proposals, giving a nod for the project and other aspects related to it. The administration put up a proposal for appointing an agency to refurbish Lal Court and develop it as a museum.
The proposal involved work regarding strengthening the building, adding stairs and lifts, developing a thematic café, and work related to a museum and exhibits that highlighted the cultural, architectural, artistic, and intellectual heritage of the city. The civic body found a bid of Rs 33.79 crore suitable for the project, and the vendor lowered the price to Rs 33.
02 crore after negotiations. The contract includes operations and maintenance of the project for 10 years. When the project was taken up for discussion by the standing committee this week, the committee, in a surprise move, sent it back to the administration.
Sources said that the committee was averse to the idea of money being spent on the project from ‘Swarnim' grants that were aimed at building civic infrastructure. The committee insisted that work should be taken up only after dedicated funding for the project was available under ‘Aagvi Olakh' grants aimed at projects that gave a distinct identity to a city..
