The Hindu Business Line : Ministry finalises plan on non-NHDP projects

THE Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have finalised plans to implement four-laning of 10,000 km of national highways which are outside the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis as announced by the Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, in the 2003-04 Budget.

The Ministry has empanelled a list of 98 BOT entrepreneurs to develop the first lot of the seven projects totalling 622 km during the current fiscal at an approximate cost of Rs 2,500 crore, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Mr B.C. Khanduri, said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

This includes one project of 45 km on the Raipur-Aurang section in Chhattisgarh, a 115-km long project on the Barhi-Ranchi section in Jharkhand, a 79-km long project on the Meerut-Muzaffarnagar section in Uttar Pradesh, two projects of 228 km between Vadape-Gonde and Pimpalgaon-Dhule sections in Maharashtra and two projects of 165 km on the Bharatpur-Mahua and Mahua-Jaipur sections in Rajasthan.

Bids will be invited for four-laning of the seven projects only from empanelled BOT entrepreneurs. The Government will start the sale of documents from September 29 followed by a pre-bid conference on October 27 and BOT operators will have to submit their bids by November 27.

As per the bidding conditions framed by the Ministry, one company/single or joint venture firm shall not be allowed to submit more than one bid, either individually or as a member of a consortium for any contract package.

A company or a firm shall not be awarded more than one contract, either individually or as a partner in a consortium.

In case a firm or company is found to be lowest in more than one contract package either individually or as a partner in a consortium, the basis for award of bid shall be least cost to the Ministry. In other words, the bidder quoting the lowest quantum of capital grant from the Ministry within an overall ceiling of 25 per cent of the project cost will be awarded the contract as per the viability gap funding mechanism proposed in the Union Budget, Mr Khanduri said.

The four-laning of stretches for the non-NHDP project have been identified on the basis of corridors having very high density of traffic, connectivity of state capitals with NHDP and connectivity of important centres of tourist and economic importance with NHDP.

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