The Hindu Business Line : Bidders for Delhi, Mumbai airports update not yet finalised: Patel

SCOTCHING rumours that the short-listing of successful bidders for the restructuring and modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports had been completed, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, said on Wednesday that the Government is yet to take a final decision on the matter.

"The Inter Ministerial Group will meet in the next few days after which the empowered Group of Ministers will meet to take a view on the process that has been followed by the Global Technical Advisors. Till the e-GoM meets and takes a collective view how can anything be said about the process," the Minister said.

The IMG is expected to meet on December 2 and the e-GoM is to meet on December 5. The six-member e-GoM is headed by the Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and includes the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

The Government received six bids from top-notch industrial houses interested in participating in the restructuring of Mumbai airport and five for Delhi airport.

The five bidders for Delhi airport included GMR that had teamed up with the operators of Frankfurt airport, Fraport, Reliance which had submitted a bid with ASA Mexico, D.S. Construction that had a tie-up with the Munich airport, Macquire that tied up with Airport de Paris and the Essel Group in association with Turkish airport operator TAV. For the Mumbai airport, the Government has also received a bid from the GVK group that has a tie-up with the South African Airport.

Sources indicated that the e-GoM is likely to consider a variety of issues including whether the earlier clause of opening the financial bids of only those bidders who secure 80 per cent marks in the technical round should be watered down.

"The e-GoM may decide to take a call on what should be done with the marginal players who have scored say about 70 per cent or 78 per cent in the technical bids but have strong financial bids" sources said.

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