Reliance, Hindujas bid for Hyderabad airport project

HYDERABAD, FEB 22: Eight groups have submitted preliminary bids for the construction of an international airport in Hyderabad, the capital...

HYDERABAD, FEB 22: Eight groups have submitted preliminary bids for the construction of an international airport in Hyderabad, the capital of southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a state Minister said.

The other bidders are Rockers (India) Private Ltd & Worldwide Holding Berhad; Ashok Leyland Ltd & British Aerospace UK; SNC Lavlin (Canada) & Capital Fortunes Ltd; and GMR Vasavi (Bangalore) and Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad.

India’s Tata Economic Consultants has been retained as the consultant for the project, Rao added. The Minister said his government would complete evaluation of the pre-qualification bids within a month after which the selected bidders will be asked to make final bids.

Story continues below this ad

"The final bids from the Indian business houses and foreign consortia for the project are expected to be received by the end of August 2000," Rao said.

The state government, he explained, would assist the developer for obtaining clearances from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation and the federal ministries of Civil Aviation and Environment and Forests.

The Hyderabad project is part of a plan by the state government to develop airports in Andhra Pradesh, Rao said.

"We have ambitious plans for development of airports. We want to have two international airports, Hyderabad to serve West-bound traffic and Visakhapatnam (about 500 km east of Hyderabad) to be primary gateway to the East. New domestic airports are planned at Kakinada and Nellore (cities on the eastern coast of the state)."