No bidders turn up for stadium project,govt plans re-launch

The Bid Evaluation Committee headed by Industrial Development Commissioner Anil Kumar Gupta met on Monday,at which officers of the Housing and Urban Development Department conveyed that all the bidders had expressed their inability to participate in the bidding process.

The project was conceived in 2008 after the Mayawati government demolished the existing sports stadium in Gomtinagar for extension of a memorial. Officials are now blaming the hasty manner in which the project was prepared “without taking any professional input”.

The bidding for the project has already been postponed three times. After the formation of the new government in March this year,the last date for submitting financial bids was fixed at May 9 but still no bidders turned up.

However,the government has not given up on the idea. “The new project will be made more attractive for private players after taking professional inputs,” said Industrial Development Commissioner Anil Kumar Gupta. The project — costing around Rs 700 crore — is supposed to include an international stadium with a capacity of 50,000 people,a sports complex for games like badminton,basketball,volleyball,lawn tennis and shooting training and an Olympic-size swimming pool. It was also proposed to have a sports academy,restaurant and other commercial activities to make the project viable. But private players have clearly expressed their reluctance to take up the project in its current form.

“This bidding process is over. The last date was May 9 and not a single bidder turned up. The economic viability of the project is a major issue with the bidders,” said a senior officer.