Key decisions on Ahmedabad’s Kids City, Toy Train operations and garden development remained pending after an AMC committee meeting on Friday, 9 October, despite the Recreational, Culture and Heritage Committee meeting for the first time in nearly six weeks.
The committee had last met on 31 August. A meeting scheduled for 30 September was cancelled because of a BJP programme, according to the report. When the committee eventually met, 11 items were placed before it, but three important proposals could not be decided because the required study had not been completed.
The pending matters include a proposal to develop Kids City under a public-private partnership model and the operation and maintenance contract for the Toy Train. A garden development proposal was also returned after only a single tender was received. The committee chair said the study of the pending matters had not been completed because of work related to the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election. The chair said further action would be taken after the proposals were examined.
The committee approved several other items, including income from swimming pools, gyms, skating rinks and sports complexes; membership figures and revenue from these facilities; visitor numbers and income at the zoo; a proposal to develop a circle under a public-private partnership model; and an extension for a manpower-supply agency.
The manpower decision relates to D. R. Enterprise, which supplies garden supervisors. Its contract ended in May 2026, but the garden department had not completed the process for issuing a new tender. Although four or five committee meetings had reportedly taken place since the contract ended, the manpower-supply proposal was not brought before the committee until the 9 October meeting. The committee approved a further four-month extension for the existing agency and instructed the garden department to prepare a new tender within that period.
The sequence has raised questions about procurement planning and continuity in the management of civic public spaces. Extending an existing contract after its scheduled end, while a replacement tender remains unprepared, leaves the municipality dependent on an interim arrangement. The available report does not specify the value of the manpower contract or the timetable for awarding a fresh contract.
The meeting also addressed street lights being obstructed by tree branches and leaves, reducing illumination on roads. The committee chair said instructions had been issued for tree trimming. The issue was raised despite trimming being undertaken during pre-monsoon work, prompting questions about how quickly branches had again grown over the lights and whether routine maintenance was being monitored between scheduled drives.
The age and suitability of security guards deployed in gardens were also discussed. Members raised concerns that older guards were being assigned to these sites and stressed the need for appropriate selection and supervision to protect citizens using the gardens. The next step on the pending Kids City, Toy Train and garden-related proposals is expected after the committee completes its review.
