The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Recreational, Culture and Heritage Committee deferred decisions on Kids City and the toy train after its first meeting in nearly six weeks, with the committee chairperson citing incomplete study linked to the Gandhinagar municipal election. The delay leaves key decisions on public recreational facilities unresolved while the civic body has approved a four-month extension for an existing garden manpower agency.
The committee met on 9 October after its previous meeting on 31 August. A meeting scheduled for 30 September had been cancelled because of a BJP programme. Eleven items were placed before the committee on Friday, but three significant matters were not decided because the relevant proposals had not been fully examined.
The deferred items include a proposal to develop Kids City under a public-private partnership model and the operation and maintenance work for the toy train. A garden development proposal was also returned after only a single tender was received. The committee chairperson said the study of the pending matters could not be completed because of travel to Gandhinagar for the municipal election and that further action would follow after the proposals were examined.
The committee approved other items concerning revenue from swimming pools, gyms, skating rinks and sports complexes, as well as visitor numbers and income at the zoo. It also approved a proposal related to developing a circle under a public-private partnership model and granted an extension to 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 a new tender. Although four or five committee meetings had reportedly taken place since the contract ended, the manpower proposal had not been presented earlier. The committee has now 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 because the extension was considered several months after the original contract ended. The available report does not state whether the continued arrangement involved any change in service conditions or payment terms.
The committee also discussed public lighting in areas where tree branches and foliage obstruct street lights, reducing illumination on roads. The chairperson said instructions had been issued for trimming the trees. The issue was raised despite trimming being undertaken during pre-monsoon operations, prompting questions about the timing and adequacy of maintenance, according to the report.
Security arrangements in municipal gardens were another subject of discussion. Members raised concerns about the age of security guards deployed at gardens and called for suitable selection and closer attention to their performance to protect visitors. The committee’s next steps are expected to include further examination of the Kids City and toy train proposals, as well as preparation of a fresh manpower tender within four months.
