Aerial view of Dharavi. file. , Photo Credit: Emmanuel Yogini
The Maharashtra government justified the tender conditions for the redevelopment of Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum in Mumbai, saying they were changed to suit the requirement of the Adani Group.
On November 29, 2022, the Adani Group won the bid for the redevelopment of DharaviOne of the largest slum clusters in the world with a bid of Rs 5,069 crore.
The state housing department filed an affidavit in the court in a petition by Sicklink Technologies Corporation, challenging the revised terms of the tender as per the Adani group.
The affidavit said, “The conditions prescribed in the tender for redevelopment were revised in view of the change in financial and physical conditions in the country from 2019 to 2022 and keeping in view the larger public interest. The terms of the new tender were fixed in September 2022 after careful discussion with experts and based on reason and reasonableness.
“The terms of the tender (under challenge) are based on discussions among experts and keeping in view the changed circumstances and on reasonable and reasonable grounds. There can be no question of exclusion of anyone’s participation in the fresh tender,” the affidavit said. Not there.
“A number of factors such as financial and economic conditions are materially different in January, 2019 and 2022. The current economic situation is materially impacted by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, uncertainty over the Rupee-USD rate, interest rate volatility and overall high risk perception of the common investor. There is also a material change in the availability of vacant land in advance to start the project immediately,” the affidavit pointed out.
The housing department’s affidavit claimed that Siklink did not have any vested right to receive the award in the tender process.
“Any person who submits a bid can only legitimately expect that his bid is considered in a non-arbitrary and transparent manner. No person has the right to do business with the Government as a matter of right The affidavit states that Seclink cannot compel the tendering authority to invite tenders in such a manner that it can participate.
The matter will be heard on March 14.