Ahmedabad’s ₹60-crore Sabarmati Riverfront multi-level parking facility opposite Flower Park has remained closed for about a year, while the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL) has started a fresh effort to lease parts of the building for annual rent of ₹36.42 lakh.
The facility, inaugurated in September 2023, was designed to accommodate around 700 cars and 1,000 two-wheelers. Its closure means visitors are not currently receiving the planned parking service, while SRFDCL is also earning no rental income from the building, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar – Ahmedabad.
The parking complex was earlier leased for ₹50 lakh. However, the previous contractor reportedly sought cancellation of the agreement after monthly income failed to reach even about ₹1 lakh. Following the termination of that contract, the seven-storey building has remained unused, the report said.
The latest leasing exercise covers the first to fifth floors. The proposed tender lists capacity for 856 two-wheelers and 372 four-wheelers on the relevant floors. The reported capacity is lower than the facility’s original design capacity because the seventh floor has been reserved for a garden restaurant, while the sixth floor is being kept vacant for parking connected to that restaurant.
The reduction in the number of parking spaces has also lowered the total rent being sought by the authority. The arrangement reflects an attempt to make the facility financially viable after the earlier contract failed to generate sufficient operating revenue.
The complex was built with automated and digital systems, including closed-circuit television cameras, electric-vehicle charging points, QR-code tickets, digital payment machines, vehicle sensors and boom barriers. A digital display system was intended to show the number of occupied and vacant spaces, and the facility was linked to a smart-parking mobile application.
The gap between the building’s planned capacity and its actual use raises operational questions about how demand, pricing and access were assessed before the project was commissioned. The report also referred to earlier controversies involving multi-level parking facilities at Sindhu Bhavan Road and Prahlad Nagar in Ahmedabad.
SRFDCL’s current proposal is aimed at reopening the first five floors through a new lease arrangement. The authority’s next step is the tendering process for selecting an operator at the proposed annual rent of ₹36.42 lakh.
