Kankaria Lake boating is set to resume in Ahmedabad after a two-year suspension linked to safety concerns following the Vadodara Harni incident, according to a report by Sandesh. The service is expected to restart from tomorrow under new standard operating procedures issued by the Gujarat government, with mandatory insurance, life jackets, emergency medical support and expanded CCTV monitoring.
The restart places safety controls at the centre of the lakefront’s visitor infrastructure. The report says every person boarding a boat will be required to have personal insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh. It also says life jackets will be provided, an ambulance will be stationed at the site and 24 advanced CCTV cameras will monitor the area.
The facility is being brought back through a decision of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Sandesh reported that 20 boats would be made operational, including regular boats and speed boats designated for rescue work. However, the same report separately describes the fleet as comprising 19 regular boats and two speed boats for rescue operations, adding up to 21 boats. The exact number and composition of the fleet require confirmation from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation or the relevant tourism authority.
The reported ticket structure varies by boat type. Speed boats and pontoon boats are listed at Rs 160 per person, while shikara boats and gypsy boats are priced at Rs 150 per person. Tickets for pedal boats are listed at Rs 60 per person. The report also says operators will be required to pay the AMC 15 per cent of the profit from ticket sales.
The return of boating is significant for Kankaria Lake, one of Ahmedabad’s major public recreation and tourism destinations. The lakefront combines leisure facilities, visitor services and municipal operations in a single urban space, meaning that the reopening will depend not only on demand from residents and tourists but also on the consistency of safety enforcement during daily operations.
The two-year closure followed the Vadodara Harni incident, after which boating and related water-based recreational activities came under heightened scrutiny in Gujarat. The new operating framework described by Sandesh indicates a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, visitor identification through ticketing and continuous surveillance. The supplied report does not specify the precise date of the earlier closure, the duration of the insurance cover, the operator responsible for the service or the inspection process used to clear each boat.
A floating cafe is also expected to open at Kankaria alongside the boating service, adding another visitor attraction to the lakefront. Details about its operating agency, capacity and safety arrangements were not provided in the report.
Before the reopening is treated as confirmed, the municipal corporation and Gujarat Tourism authorities should clarify the boat count, the rescue arrangement, the insurance implementation and the effective date of the standard operating procedures. These details will determine how the safety system works in practice once boating resumes.
