Ranchi, June 15: The picturesque Hatia dam has missed the tourism boat.

An ambitious and luxe project to sail shikaras and offer continental food pepped up with live music has been tossed into troubled waters by a bevy of problems — ranging from an estranged relationship between the government and a private hospitality player to a welling up scam in the purchase of water equipment.

In 2009, the tourism department had signed an MoU with Ranchi-based private agency PTS Hospitality to develop Hatia dam as a tourist hotspot, complete with an array of water sports.

While the department decided to develop a musical fountain, food kiosks, an aquarium and lounges, its private partner agreed on maintenance of the site and running the water rides.

According to sources, around Rs 2.5 crore was spent on beautification of the dam and purchase of paddle boats, rafts and shikaras, besides accessories like life jackets and diving suits over the past two years.

The four shikaras, brought from Calcutta, alone were worth Rs 1.5 lakh.

But now, the project is lying abandoned. The cushions and curtains that once adorned the shikaras have vanished, the food kiosks are in ruins and the musical fountain is hard to spot. Anil Kumar Pathak, the proprietor of PTS Hospitality, claimed that the department never wanted to finish the project. “Everything was mere eyewash. We had invested Rs 50 lakh for manicured gardens, adventure gear, et al, but the tourism department is sitting on a mountain of scams,” he said.

Pathak pointed out that not just Hatia dam, agreements for 21 similar projects floated in 2009 had not been honoured.

“Most of the equipment have been sold away by tourism officials,” he said.

When confronted, director of tourism Siddharth Tripathi conceded that the project had lost steam, but held the private player largely responsible.

“A three-year contract was signed with PTS Hospitality. But we had to cancel the work agreement in December last year after we found that the agency was cheating on us. It was supposed to engage local workers — gardeners, security guards etc. — for the project, but had instead hired from outside.”

So, is the project still on? “We are planning to rope in an NGO, Mahila Samakhiya, run by tribal women. We will come out with a public advertisement soon,” he maintained.

But then, shikara are unlikely to set sail in the reservoir in the near future. “The auditor-general has found discrepancies in purchase of the water rides and the vigilance bureau is, currently, investigating the case,” a senior official of the tourism department said.

Navigability in the shrinking dam is also in question. According to Umesh Mehta, the superintending engineer of drinking water and sanitation department, the reservoir is not suitable for boating at all. “The water level is only 2.5ft. The minimum level to facilitate boating should be 10ft. Two years ago, the level must have been around 5ft. Maybe, the monsoon will recharge the dam,” he said.

CAPTION: The abandoned shikaras without cushions and curtains. Picture by Hardeep Singh