Solitary bid props Metro II

Reliance Infrastructure has teamed up with Canada-based SNC Lavlin to bid for the Rs 8,250-crore line along the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd corridor. “They have quoted a viability gap fund of Rs 2,298 crore. This is a very vital step after delays in submission,mainly due to the global slowdown,” said Ratnakar Gaikwad,Metropolitan Commissioner.

He described the bid as a “reasonable” one and said the MMRDA will take a final call within a month.

Reliance Infrastructure has already bagged the contract for the first Metro corridor along the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar stretch. The 11.7-km corridor is expected to be commissioned by July 2010.

MMRDA sources say the break-up of the public-private-partnership model would see Reliance Infrastructure spending Rs 5,952 crore,the Centre providing a viability gap fund of Rs 1,532 crore and the implementing agency providing the remaining Rs 766 crore.

“We’re confident that we will get the contract as the bid we’ve made is a reasonable one,” said Reliance Infrastructure official,requesting anonymity.

Some sources,however,say the Reliance Industries-led consortium did not submit the bid though officials had gone to the MMRDA headquarters on the Bandra-Kurla Complex.

The other players in the fray for the 32 km corridor were the Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries with Siemens and Gammon,GE India-L&T-CA-IDPL,Tata Power-Mitsubishi-Tata Realty’s Pioneer Infrastructure,GVK-Bombardier-YTL,IL&FS-Soma Constructions-Punj Lloyd,and Essar-Alstom.

More In line: State govt plans to link airports old and new

The state government plans to connect the old airport in the city with the proposed international airport in Navi Mumbai.

An official said the government plans to extend the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd line across the creek to connect it to the proposed airport at Navi Mumbai.

With a link connecting Bandra to the airport also being planned,this could eventually help connect the two airports.

The official said work on the Metro in Navi Mumbai could be executed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO),which is the planning body for Navi Mumbai. However,this may not be concurrent with work on the Charkop-Bandra- Mankhurd route.

The Centre had recently cleared the environment and coastal regulation zone hurdles in the set-up of the proposed 2,100-hectare greenfield Navi Mumbai international airport,to be located between Kharghar and Panvel. The state has planned an implementation timeframe of the already delayed project,with basic services to be inaugurated in late 2013.