CHANDIGARH: UT adviser Dharam Pal has decided to comprehensively review the functioning of Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (Citco) for revenue generation. The adviser has also directed the officials to submit a progress report on the initiatives taken by Citco to revive their hospitality section after the first and second waves of coronavirus, which hit the sector badly.
Dharam Pal said he has called a meeting of Citco officers to review projects, proposals and financial condition, besides take suggestions on leasing out corporation’s outlets to private players.
Having failed to evoke a good response from bidders, Citco recently floated a fresh tender for a party boat at Sukhna Lake. It had planned to introduce the city's first 80-seater party boat. The agency was to provide a new eco-friendly boat with terrace and lighting arrangement for night operation. It will be the responsibility of the agency to keep the boat in running condition at all times.
Besides, the corporation did not get response from private players for running multi-cuisine restaurant Magic Wok at Hotel Mountview in Sector 10. Initially, there was no response for Hotel Shivalikview’s discotheque and lounge bar in Sector 17 too. Later, Citco received bids from three firms and in January it shortlisted two. The 4,148-sq-ft discotheque was available on lease for seven years under the formula of design, build, operate, and transfer (DBOT). But due to lockdown and pandemic, things didn’t move forward.
Citco runs three big hotels—Mountview in Sector 10, Shivalikview in Sector 17 and Parkview in Sector 24. The administration has decided to lease them out to make them profitable, but the protesting employees saw this as privatisation.
Drop In, Baithak leased out
Citco has already leased out two restaurants—multi-cuisine Drop In in Sector 34 and Punjabi-style Baithak at Kalagram. The process for outsourcing the Stop-n-Stare eatery at Leisure Valley in Sector 10 is on.
Sec 42 lake plan
The second wave of coronavirus has put brakes on Citco’s plan to develop Sector 42 lake as a new tourism attraction and an expression of interest (EoI) for amusement activities was also invited. But the second wave of coronavirus held back the prospective bidders, a senior UT officer said.
