Air-conditioned cabins, VIP and VIP business class aft seats, vegan leather, wood-finish armrests, premium aesthetics and more – a range of amenities planned for two boats worth more than $3 crore each in Delhi. Purpose? Inspections on the Yamuna River by VIPs.
Following criticism of these extravagant plans, the tender process for these boats has now been cancelled, with two senior officials involved in purchasing these boats suspended.
A day after HT announced the tender in its March 18 report, an investigation was launched into the tender dated March 12, to understand “the circumstances under which the tenders were issued.” A political controversy has erupted over the reports of these VIP boats, with the RJD and Congress criticizing the BJP-led Delhi government, calling the boat plan a “waste of public funds and a case of misplaced priorities”.
Marine air conditioning on the surface, vegan leather, “aesthetic” look.
As HT previously reported, the “luxury” boats that the previous tender aims to buy have numerous amenities and features, including the ability to seat 16 to 20 people, “cassette-type marine air conditioners on deck”, “push-back VIP seats in business class” and a “dedicated catering pantry”, among others.
The VIP seats were “made of vegan leather with exquisite stitching” and had a “premium aesthetic” with hidden LEDs and ambient lighting, as HT previously reported.
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To facilitate public visibility for VIPs, each boat was to have an open aft deck with three- to four-seater sofas. Other features include integrated armrests with wood accents and bottle holders on the VIP seats.
Here are some additional features, according to the tender for the two boats:
- Capacity to accommodate 16 to 20 people.
- 300 hp four-stroke engines with tanks capable of holding 700-1000 liters of fuel.
- Dedicated food warehouse.
- Fresh water storage capacity: 400 litres.
- The boat’s specifications were: 13 meters long, 4.3 meters wide and 2.1 meters high.
“These boats will be equipped with all amenities to facilitate these visits. In emergency situations, they can also be used for rescue operations,” a senior I&FC department official told HT earlier, on condition of anonymity.
The VIP boating plan was supposed to be an effort as part of the Delhi government’s Yamuna clean-up plans for which the river requires frequent inspections by VIPs. Currently, the I&FC department rents boats when needed, including to conduct bathymetric surveys, rescue operations, monsoon monitoring, and inspections during festivals like Chhath, according to the department’s annual report released in February.
Engineers have been suspended, Parvesh Verma said
The tender for the purchase of VIP boats has drawn heavy criticism, with the Opposition AAP and the Congress accusing the Delhi government of wasting money, “spending on luxury boats” and VIP entertainment. In the wake of the uproar, the Delhi government canceled its plans for the boats.
“The Executive Engineer and Assistant Engineer concerned have also been suspended for issuing tenders without prior information,” Parvesh Verma, Minister in-charge of Irrigation and Flood Control Department, said, announcing that the tender has now been cancelled.
Verma’s office said directives had been issued that any future purchase of boats would be limited to core functions of the department.
