Ahmedabad: The city is set to get its most expensive public garden yet. It will be shaped like a lotus, where each petal blooms with a different Indian state’s flower, a flower museum, and eventually a glow garden next door. It will also cost taxpayers Rs 120 crore, up from the Rs 20 crore the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) originally budgeted. And, it will be built on Club O7 Road in Shela, not on SG Highway as first announced.The AMC first allocated Rs 20 crore for the garden on SG Highway in its 2024-25 budget, approved by the standing committee on Feb 6, 2024. It was to be named ‘Lotus Park’ or ‘Garland of India’. The concept envisioned a lotus-shaped garden showcasing the state flower of each Indian state.Another Rs 20 crore followed in the 2025-26 budget. The project has since moved location, shed its original name, and grown to Rs 120 crore, six times what was first envisioned.The garden will come up on 37,033 sq metres of land near Dhatla Talavdi in Shela, with a 30-metre entry from Club O7 Road. An assembly-type structure will cover 40% of the plot, rising to a maximum height of 45m. Inside, visitors will find a flower museum, spa, souvenir shop, multimedia theatre, and open seating areas. An entry fee will be charged. The adjacent plot is earmarked for a glow garden, making the site a two-attraction destination.The process that produced this project, however, has drawn as much attention as the project itself. A reliable source alleged, “While the AMC typically maintains a panel of consultants (architects) for a 5-year term to work on various projects, a consultant/architect, who was not on the approved panel, was appointed for this project without a formal tender process. Furthermore, this consultant was appointed at a higher fee despite empanelled consultants being available at lower rates.“Construction tendering has been no less contentious. The first tender was floated on Nov 14, 2025, with a Dec 8, 2025 deadline. Only two companies responded, one of which failed to qualify technically, forcing a re-tender. The second tender was issued on Feb 9, 2026, with a deadline of Feb 20, giving bidders just 12 days to respond to a Rs 120 crore contract. A company that requested an extension at the pre-bid meeting was turned down. The return on investment (ROI) for the project has reportedly not been verified.A proposal to approve construction is expected to be placed before the upcoming AMC standing committee.
