New Delhi: Delhi govt is likely to tweak its plan of procuring two boats for VIP inspections on the Yamuna, which would have cost around Rs 6.2 crore.A tender notice, dated March 12, said that govt planned to procure two “air-conditioned boats with enclosed cabin for VVIPs/VIPs”, each priced at nearly Rs 3.1 crore.Govt sources said that irrigation and flood control minister Parvesh Verma has now sought an inquiry into the previously issued tenders and the circumstances under which they were issued.Sources said that the department has been told that any procurement of boats will strictly be need-based and limited to essential functions of the department, such as surveillance, pollution monitoring and other similar operational requirements.According to the earlier plan, each boat would have accommodated 16 to 20 people. The boats would have been 13 metres long, 4.3 metres wide, and 2.1 metres tall, the earlier tender had said. The cabins would have featured “cassette-type rooftop marine air conditioners”, “customised business class push-back VIP seats”, a pantry, washrooms and fresh water storage capacity of 400 litres.The bidding process was scheduled to end by March 19, with procurement expected to take another five months after finalising the supplier. The boats were to be purchased for frequent inspections by dignitaries.Each vessel would have had an open rear deck for VIP public appearances with sofas that could have seated three to four people.The boats were to be equipped with 300 HP four-stroke engines with tanks capable of holding 700-1,000 litres of fuel, along with diesel generators for electric power.The safety features were supposed to include tracking devices, very high frequency (VHF) radio signal stations, emergency medical equipment, and water depth sounders capable of measuring depth up to 500 metres.
