Karnataka   

Court stays tender of grade separators

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed the tenders called for construction of two grade separators scheduled to come up at the junction of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Iblur and Agara in Bangalore.

The court granted the stay order following a petition by East Coast Constructions.

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had conceived the two grade separators as a part of a series of similar projects to ease traffic hold-ups on the ORR. Each of these two flyovers is expected to be 0.5 km in length and is to be completed by October 2009. While the Agara grade separator is expected to cost Rs. 40 crore, the Iblur project is estimated to cost Rs. 30 crore. Three construction firms, including East Coast had evinced interest in taking up the project.

When the matter came up, East Coast Constructions said it had quoted the lowest bid on both the grade separator projects. It said both the projects put together was estimated to cost Rs. 57 crore.

The company contended that apart from it, two other construction firms — Nagarjuna and Gammon — had taken part in the tender process. It said the tender conditions were deliberately tailor-made by the BDA to leave East Coast Constructions out of contention.

The tender notification was published/called for on January 3, 2008 and the last date was February 4, 2008.

It urged the court to stay the tenders called for by the BDA.

Opposing the petition, BDA said any stay of the tender would also have the effect of staying the project.

It said there was nothing arbitrary or illegal in the tender process and that it had been done as per the provisions. While I.C. Gacchinmath appeared for the BDA, Aditya Sondhi appeared for East Coast Constructions. Justice Anand Byrareddy stayed the tender process for the two grade separators and all consequent actions and adjourned further hearing on the case.

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