‘Vegan leather, aesthetic look’: Inside air-conditioned VIP boat plans for Yamuna that sparked inquiry in Delhi

AIr-conditioned cabins, concern division pushback seats for VIP and VVIPs, vegan leather, deal rests with wooden goal, insurance premium aesthetic look and more - an array of amenities were planned for two boats, worth over ₹3 crore each in Delhi. The purpose? Inspections of river Yamuna by dignitaries.Following criticism of these extravagant plans, the tender process for these boats now stands cancelled, with two senior officials involved with the procurement of these boats suspended.A day after HT reported on the tender in its March 18 report, an inquiry was launched into the tender dated March 12, to understand “the circumstances under which they were issued". A political controversy erupted over reports of these VIP boats, as the AAP and the Congress lashed out at the BJP-led Delhi government, and labelled the boat plan a “wastage of public funds and case of misplaced priorities.”Rooftop marine ACs, vegan leather, ‘aesthetic’ lookAs reported by HT earlier, the “luxury” boats that the previous tender aimed to procure had many amenities and features, including the capacity to accommodate 16 to 20 persons, “cassette-type rooftop marine air conditioners,” “customised business class push-back VIP seats” and “a dedicated pantry for serving food”, among others.The customised seats for VIPs were “made of vegan leather with exquisite stitching” and a “premium aesthetic look" with concealed LED lights and ambient lighting, as reported by HT earlier.Also Read: ₹6.2 crore Yamuna VIP boat plan">HT Impact: Inquiry ordered into ₹6.2 crore Yamuna VIP boat planTo further faciliate the VIP public appearances, each boat was supposed to include an open-rear deck with three-to-four-seater sofas. Among other features were integrated hand rests with wooden finish and bottle holders on the VIP seats.Here are some more features, according to the tender for the two boats:Capacity to accommodate 16 to 20 persons.300 HP four-stroke engines with tanks capable of holding 700-1,000 litres of fuel.Dedicated pantry for serving food.Fresh water storage capacity of 400 litres.Boat's specifications were: 13 metres long, 4.3 metres wide and 2.1 metres tall.“These boats will be equipped with all amenities to facilitate these visits. In emergency, they can also be used for rescue operations,” a senior official of the I&FC department earlier told HT on condition of anonymity.The VIP boats plan was supposed to be an effort as part of the Delhi's government's Yamuna cleaning plans for which the river requires frequent inspections by dignitaries. Presently, the I&FC department hires boats whenever required, including for bathymetric surveys, rescue operations, monsoon monitoring, and inspections during festivals like Chhath, according to the annual report of the department released in February.2 engineers suspended, what Parvesh Verma saidThe tender to procure these VIP boats drew huge flak, with the Opposition AAP and Congress accusing the Delhi government of wasting funds, “splurging on lavish boats” and VIP pleasure. Following the uproar, the Delhi government has scrapped plans for the boats.“The executive engineer and assistant engineer concerned have also been suspended for issuing the tenders without prior information,” Parvesh Verma, minister in-charge of the irrigation and flood control (I&FC) department, said, announcing that the tender is now cancelled.Verma's office said that directions were issued to the effect that any future procurement of boats will be limited to essential functions of the department.