Navrattan Kothari’s dream gets a boost

Navrattan Kothari, Jaipur-based leading diamantaire will finally see his dream being fulfilled as the Supreme Court on Friday cleared the much-talked about Jal Mahal tourism development project adjoining the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur. However, the project has been cleared with a rider as the project’s lease has been cut down from 99 years to 30 years.

Navrattan Kothari while thanking for the judgement said to Diamond World, “Truth Prevails,” satya ki vijay hui hai. I am grateful to god that he has given me chance to serve Jaipur. I will execute the project at the earliest if there are no further hurdles by the local authorities and will give Jaipur a gift to cherish for a life time.”

In 2005, Navrattan Kothari, chairman of KGK Group took upon the humungous task of restoring Jal Mahal and to develop 100 acres along the Man Sagar Lake (in the middle of which Jal Mahal stands) and the palace, through a consortium company called Jal Mahal Resorts Pvt Ltd (JRPL). Though the company won the project with the highest bid, the road ahead was quite bumpy. Prior to the restoration work, the manmade lake was known to be stinky and the residents were quite troubled by the stench that the lake sent out. The state government had already spent Rs 25 crore to clear the lake of its stench so when JRPL approached the state government for the funds JRPL was asked to use its own funds to clean the lake. Then, JRPL entrusted the work to German engineer Harald Kraft who looked at it as difficult but not as an impossible task. Soon, the restoration work on the Jal Mahal began.

However, the project soon ran into trouble with controversies surrounding it from all sides. The project’s lease terms and JRPL’s credibility were questioned. Also, it was widely reported in the media that consortium’s key personnel’s proximity to then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was the reason why JRPL won the bid. The long standing case had also put question mark on the PPP model of the project development.