Delhi-Meerut Expressway project fails to attract bidders
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has revealed that the Delhi-Meerut Expressway thus far has no bidders. The cost of construction of the expressway will approximately be Rs 6,500 crore.
According to the information shared by the NHAI, none of the five private players in the infrastructure sector that had filed a request for qualification (RFQ) for the 73-km expressway have come forward with RFP till now.
As per a senior NHAI official, private consortia that expressed interest in the first RFQ stage for the Delhi-Meerut Expressway included the consortia of Srei Infrastructure, Sadbhav Infrastructure and Indus Concessions, as well as Uniquest Infra and IL&FS.
The official said that though Sadbhav, Uniquest Infra, and Indus consortium had qualified for the sector stage, none of them has submitted RFPs.
Though lack of investor interest has previously forced the NHAI to go in for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode for the Rs 6,290-crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) project, the authorities have not yet reached any decision on whether to adopt the EPC mode for the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project too.
Noting that getting bidders for the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project was the “real challenge” faced by the authorities, a government official said: “Already a decision has been taken to award EPE on the EPC mode, but given the financial constraints, it will be tough for NHAI to award the (Delhi-Meerut Expressway) project also on EPC.”
Source- The Financial Express
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