Five civic body plots located in posh areas of the city – Bodakdev, Sola, Gota and Nikol – will go under the hammer on Thursday. The plots are meant for commercial development and will be auctioned on an e-auction website.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has confirmed that it has received 56 interested buyers and more are expected by the time the e-auction begins on Thursday.
On Thursday, auctions for three plots will be held and while the remaining two plots will be auctioned the following day.
The plots to be auctioned account for 51,656 sq m area. The AMC aims to get more than Rs 726 crore for the plots. Officials said that the AMC has set the highest price for its Science City Road plot – at Rs 1.59 lakh per sq m. For its plot behind Rajpath Club, the AMC is seeking Rs 1.58 lakh per sq m.
“There is encouraging response from a number of individuals. For AMC it is heartening as the auction is for the city. The money from the auction will be pumped into sprucing up our civic infrastructure,” said municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra.
A senior officer said that with 2020 being an election year for the AMC, it will need funds for various developmental projects. During a pre-budget meeting, officials were told to suggest projects, including bridges. Recently, the state has cleared bridge and underbridge projects worth over Rs 200 crore and the corporation will need funds for them. “After the success of this e-auction we are aiming at a similar auction for 40-odd plots on the Sabarmati riverfront. Several crucial aspects like security of the online auction will be tested on Thursday,” said a senior estate department official.