Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) auctioned the ground floor space of multilevel parking on Sindhu Bhavan Road in Bodakdev ward for Rs 80.46 crore a year ago. While the bidder paid an initial deposit of Rs 8 crore (10%), the remaining amount remains unpaid.
The civic body has not proposed to seek approval from the state govt to grant an extension to the bidder to make the payment. This proposal has been put before the standing committee and will be reviewed during its meeting on Thursday.
The winning bidder of the ground floor space was required to make the full payment within a specified timeframe. Sources indicate that the delay stems from the bidder’s disagreement over an EV charging station built by the AMC near the parking facility. Although the civic body could confiscate the Rs 8 crore deposit due to the missed deadline, they have opted to pursue an extension. Since this decision exceeds the corporation’s authority, they must obtain standing committee approval before seeking the state govt’s permission.
The AMC introduced a new approach by offering the entire floor space of Sindhu Bhavan multilevel parking as a single unit, rather than dividing it into individual shops and offices for auction.
During the July 2023 auction, while the first and fifth floors received no interest, one bidder came forward for the ground floor, offering an amount marginally above the base price.
The corporation set Rs 1.93 lakh per sq m as the base price. On Aug 10, 2023, the standing committee approved the 99-year lease sale, with the final price reaching Rs 80.46 crore against a base price of Rs 80.25 crore. However, 90% of the payment remains unpaid.
AMC regulations typically allow purchasers one year to complete the full payment. An additional year’s extension is possible after 90 days, subject to 1% interest on the pending amount. Despite these provisions, the ground floor bidder is yet to make the outstanding payment.