Patna, Nov. 16: The Centre has given its nod to the ambitious Ganga project, which would enable citizens to take a stroll along the river.

Once the documents and the funds arrive, tenders would be floated for the execution of the ambitious scheme. After completion, the project would be the city’s own version of Mumbai’s Marine Drive and Calcutta’s Millennium Park.

The state urban development department had sent the preliminary project report to the Centre in May. The Centre gave an in-principle approval to it in August, following which the detailed project report was prepared and forwarded to the Centre in September.

“We had sent the modified detailed project report for the river front development scheme to the Centre and they have given their approval. We are just waiting for the final approval documents to arrive, after which we will float tenders. We have all the required documents ready. We intend to issue the tenders by January next year. Subsequently, the construction work would start from March or April. It would take nearly two years to complete the project,” said Shashi Shekhar Sharma, the principal secretary of the state urban development department.

The Rs 130-crore Ganga walkway project plan includes a promenade with parks, eateries, community centres and beautiful landscapes along the 22 ghats of the Ganga in the state capital.

The walkway, which would be around 6.7-km-long, would leave behind Mumbai’s Queen’s Necklace, which stretches for around 3km along the shores of the Arabian Sea.

Apart from the walkway, two parks and two community-cum-cultural-centres would be developed under the Ganga River Front Development Scheme.

The riverfront development project is under the ambit of National Ganga River Basin Authority, a World Bank-funded scheme aimed at effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the Ganga.

The nodal agency for the authority in Bihar is the state urban development department.

According to sources, the Centre would contribute 70 per cent of the total expenditure, while the remaining 30 per cent of the expenses would be handled by the state.

“The riverfront development scheme in Patna, including parks, walkways and other civic amenities, under Ganga River Front Development Scheme aims at transforming urban life in the city by providing a pool of recreational activities at the river bank,” Sharma said.

City-based Sen & Lall Consultants Private Limited, along with urban design expert from New Delhi Nishant Lall, prepared the detailed project report. Krishna Lall, the director of Sen & Lall, told The Telegraph: “Total 22 ghats have been included in the riverfront development scheme but we have left five ghats from our detailed project report, as other state government departments are developing them. However, our project report includes the provision of a 6.7-km-long and 15-ft-wide walkway that would connect all the 22 ghats from Collectorate Ghat to Naujar Ghat in Patna City. The walkway would be complemented with 500 benches, decorative lights, trees on the southern side, lavatories and kiosks.”

He added: “The detailed project report divides the entire project into four urban precincts. The precinct 1 covers the riverfront between Collectorate Ghat and Mahendru Ghat. Its target is the people from the areas around Gandhi Maidan. The precinct 2 covers the riverfront between Mishri Ghat and Patna College Ghat, which targets the youngsters coming to the university and medical college. The precinct 3 covers the riverfront between Gandhi Ghat and Rani Ghat, which would supplement the religious activities undertaken in this area. The urban precinct 4 covers the riverfront between Bhadra Ghat and Naujar Ghat, which would mainly cater to the mixed community spread in densely populated areas in that stretch.”

The project report also includes the provision of one lush green park each at Patna College Ghat and Gai Ghat. Apart from the parks, there would be a community and cultural centre each at Collectorate Ghat and Bhadra Ghat.