Patna: Residents will soon have a new recreational area in the city as the development of Ganga riverfront on a 3-kilometre stretch from Digha roundabout to LCT Ghat is likely to be completed by mid-August, Priya Saurabh, the spokesperson of Patna Smart City Limited (PSCL), the nodal agency for the project, has said.As per the proposal, the project, ‘Riverfront Development along the Ganga’ consists of two segments: a picnic spot featuring an allocated space for a vending zone and a green zone with outdoor seating arrangements.Around 500 fabricated shops along a 1km stretch on JP Ganga Path, commonly referred to as Patna’s Marine Drive, costing Rs 15 crore, are being set up, the PSCL officials have said. Animesh Kumar Parashar, the managing director (MD) of PSCL, said there will be statues of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan with 3-D murals on platforms with inscriptions, plantation and lights on a 100-metre stretch from Digha golambar near Atal Path.“Selfie points will be made on Atal Path and JP Ganga Path. For beautification, around 245 planter boxes will be placed on both sides of the pathway, and over 10,000 saplings, including ornamental, native and hedges, will be planted. The entire area will be illuminated with garden, facade and profile lights. There will be a beautiful 25-feet-high zigzag archway with different names of Ganga — Bhagirathi, Jahnavi, Alaknanda, Mandakini, Sursarita and Vishnupadi among others. There will also be a large gate with a display, ‘Ganga kinare’ to enter a food court area,” the PSCL MD said.The stretch from Kurji Mor to LCT Ghat, however, has been designated as a no-vending zone, where environment, forest and climate change department has undertaken a comprehensive development project. The 650-metre-long area will have plantations, landscaping, benches, street lights and a dedicated walking pathway. The estimated cost of the entire project is Rs 52.81 crore.
