[Jai]

Two bidders for second sealink

HT Epaper
07 Mar 2007

Madhurima Nandy
Mumbai



IT WILL be a 14-km bridge over the sea, almost thrice the length of the Bandra-Worli sealink, to take you from Worli to Nariman Point in less than 20 minutes. In a recent development, two parties — Anil Ambani’s Reliance Energy teamed up with South Korean company Hyundai consortium, and Malaysian firm Gamuda — have been shortlisted to develop the Rs 3,551 crore Western Freeway Sealink Project (WFSL) on a build-operate-transfer basis.

The much-delayed project, a crucial extension to the ongoing Bandra-Worli sealink, was supposed to take off by end-2006. The pre-qualification process itself has taken more than seven months.

Speaking to HT, State Public Works Department minister Anil Deshmukh said: “Bidders have now been issued draft bid documents, on the basis of which they will now have to submit technical and financial bids.” Senior Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials said the bidders had been chosen over both national and international bidders like Urbana from the US and Gammon. According to procedure, bidders will be soon issued complete bid documents after which they submit their final bids. Lastly, MSRDC will scrutinise the bids and select one.

REL is currently fighting a case against being thrown out of the pre-qualification process in the Rs 4,000 crore Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link project between Nhava Sheva and Sewri. Gamuda, a top infrastructure and engineering firm in Malaysia has a background of building and operating expressways and highways, tunnels as well as water infrastructure projects and is seriously looking at entering the Indian market in a big way.

madhurima.nandy@hindustantimes.com

BRIDGE BASICS
Route: Worli to Nariman Point
Total length: 16.92 km
Length of main bridge: 14.77 km
Project cost: Rs 3,500 crore
Travel time: Less than 20 mins at 100 km/hr

The sealink will connect to the mainland at Worli Dairy, Haji Ali and Bhulabhai Desai Road