26 firms show interest in Mumbai harbour link

This is second time after 2008 Reliance Infrastructure now with Russian company Volgomost is in the fray

Twenty-six companies, including Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure, Larsen & Tourbo, and China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group, have submitted requests for qualification (RFQ) for the Rs 17,750-crore Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project.

A RFQ refers to the pre-procurement stage of a proposal. Those who respond successfully to it are included in the subsequent request for proposals stage.

The other companies that have responded to the MTHL RFQ are HCC, AFCONS Infrastructure, Shapoorji Pallonji & Company, NCC, Tata Projects, Gammon and IL&FS Engineering. They have either filed RFQs individually or through a consortium for the six-lane, 22-km-long link.

Of the total length, 16.5 km would be a bridge, and the remaining would be on the coast at Sewri and Nhava. It is expected to decongest Mumbai and connect the city to Navi Mumbai.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Agency (MMRDA) in May had invited RFQs for three civil packages including construction of 10.380 km long bridge section across the Mumbai Bay and Sewri interchange (Rs 6,600 crore), 7.807 km long bridge section across Mumbai Bay and Shivaji Nagar inter change (Rs 4,900 crore) and 3.613 km long viaduct including interchanges at state highway 52 and at state highway 54 and at national highway 4B near Chilre in Navi Mumbai.

An MMRDA official, currently engaged with the MTHL tendering process, told Business Standard, “RFQs received for three civic packages are under examination. Thereafter, MMRDA will select qualified bidders who will later be asked to file request for proposal (RFP) by mid October.'' The official said of the Rs 17,750 crore, nearly 80% loan will come from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the balance funds to be organised by the state government and MMRDA.

Reliance Infrastructure, which has already put its 11 road projects on the block, has formed joint venture titled Mumbai Harbour Link with the Russian bridge construction enterprise Volgomost. This is second time almost after a decade the Anil Ambani led Reliance ADAG is making a fresh bid for MTHL project. During 2005 and 2008, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infrastructure and Hyundai and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Limited (RIL) had submitted separate bids for MTHL project.

Reliance Infrastructure had then emerged the lowest bidder by quoting a concession period of 9 years and 11 months for the project. On the other hand, RIL had quoted a concession period of 75 years. The concession periods quoted by both Reliance Infrastructure and RIL were in wide variance from the bid requirement of 45 years. However, the Congress-NCP government and its undertaking Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation had rejected both the bids citing technical issues.

The other consortia, who have filed RFQ, included Larson & Toubro Ltd & IHI Infrastructure System, Hindustan Construction Company Ltd & SK Engineering & Construction Company, AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd & FLUOR Australia & Shapoorji Pallonji and Company, China Harbour Engineering Company& Soma Enterprise,IL&FS Transportation Networks & SP Singla Constructions, Daewoo E&C & Tata Projects, a JV comprising ITD Cementation India Ltd, Simplex Infrastructures Limited, Italian Thai Development Public Company Ltd & Sumitoto Mitsui Construction Company, China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group & Punj Lloyd Limited.

MTHL, which will be developed on cash contract basis, is one of the key transport infrastructure projects being pursued by the BJP led government in the state. At present, infrastructure projects of over Rs 1 lakh crore are under various stages of implementation in Mumbai and in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The state government hopes that work order for MTHL will be awarded before end of calender year 2016.