GIFT City to have aqua park, underwater aquarium

Ahmedabad: The GIFT City is all set to have an aqua park, underwater aquarium, water sports among others as a part of the entertainment, recreational and retail zone along with a 158-metre high GIFT Eye (Ferris wheel).According to a tender issued recently, the developer will have to design, finance, develop, construct, operate, and maintain the said zone. Principal secretary, urban development department, Ashwini Kumar said that the new additions to the GIFT City will further attract investors and make it the most liveable global fintech hub. “These three attractions will entertain both the working and the non-working population besides drawing tourists to GIFT City,” said Kumar.Officials said that the underwater aquarium will be bigger than the existing one at the Science City in Ahmedabad. The aquarium at the Science City is currently the biggest in the country. The officials said that with the development of the Sabarmati riverfront, water sports facilities will also be in the focus. The GIFT City authorities expect that the riverfront will be ready in the next 30 months.There is also a plan to develop a theme park, gaming arcade, and recreational facilities apart from creating art galleries, theatres, and performance spaces. However, the officials said that this is just an idea and the developer will be free to build any entertainment or recreational attractions.The officials said that an area of about 20.59 acres in the SEZ (non-processing) area has been marked for an aggregated development of the commercial and the entertainment parts. The area will have a multilevel car parking zone.The tender mentions that the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Limited had received a proposal for the development of the project, and it proposed to develop the commercial part of minimum 1.5 million sq feet and residential part of minimum 1.2 million sq feet in the SEZ non-processing area of GIFT City over and above the entertainment zone.To match the vertical development, an equivalent socio-cultural infrastructure is equally important, mentions the tender details. This socio-cultural infrastructure to include leisure, adventure, amusement and entertainment activities. The social and cultural infrastructure at the GIFT City is considered as a fundamental infrastructure component to make the city liveable with a vibrant urban lifestyle.The officials said that the land for development of the entertainment and recreational zone will be given on licence to use for a period of 30 years. The GIFT City will have green spaces and a leisure zone will provide tranquil green spaces, parks, and recreational areas.
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