The e-auction of the iconic Taj Mansingh has been called off again for want of enough number of bidders.
Only two bidders, the Tata group’s Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), which previously held the lease on the property, and the ITC, evinced interest in the e-auction of the landmark luxury hotel property till Monday, the last day for submitting the bids.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) decided to annul the tender yet again.
With this, it seems the e-auction saga is not going to end soon, as it has again failed to get the minimum requirement of three bidders in order to start the process.
“Since only two bids came, this tender is now annulled. Any further decision on the e-auction will be taken by the Council,” said a senior NDMC official.
This is the second time, in a month’s span, the process for the e-auction has been annulled.
Last month, after IHCL turned out to be the sole bidder the Council cancelled the bidding process and announced a new date, July 18 for the e-auction of the five-star hotel.
In the latest e-auction round, prospective parties were given a 12-day window till July 9 to submit the bids.
ITC, which also wanted to apply last time, failed to be part of the bidding process as it only brought the hard copy and failed to submit it online.
As per the bidding norms, the bidders are required to submit the soft copies also to be eligible.
The 292-room hotel located on Man Singh Road was on a 33-year lease to IHCL, which expired in 2011. NDMC, subsequently, decided to re-auction it — a decision later challenged by IHCL in court. But, the apex court gave the green signal for e-auction last year.
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