Bomaby HC upholds tender awarded to Adani Group for Dharavi slum project

The Bombay High Court on Friday upheld the tender awarded to Adani Properties Private Limited by the Maharashtra government for the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in Mumbai reported news agency PTIA division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar dismissed a petition filed by UAEbased Seclink Technologies Corporation challenging the state governments decision to award the Dharavi slum redevelopment project to Adani Properties Private LtdThe bench said the petition lacks force and effort and hence stands dismissed reported PTIThe Adani Group had emerged as the highest bidder for the 259hectare Dharavi Redevelopment Project and bagged it with its Rs 5069crore offer in the 2022 tender processIn the first tender issued in 2018 the petitioner company had emerged as the highest bidder with its Rs 7200crore offerThe government had however cancelled the 2018 tender and issued a fresh tender in 2022 with additional conditionsSeclink Technologies Corporation first challenged the cancellation of the 2018 tender and subsequently the 2022 tender award to AdaniThe grounds raised in the petition lack force and effort The challenge to the governments action of cancelling the earlier tender and issuing a fresh tender award fails the high court said reported PTIThe state government had submitted to the HC that the tender award was transparent and no undue favour was shown to the highest bidder Adani GroupThe government had said that the 2018 tender was cancelled and a fresh tender was issued in 2022 because of several factors like the COVID19 pandemic and the RussiaUkraine war which affected the financial and economic state of affairsThe first tender for the Dharavi slum redevelopment project was issued in November 2018 In March 2019 the bids were opened and it was found that the petitioner company was the highest bidderThe same month an additional 45 acres of land was made available to the government by the Indian Railways for the Dharavi slum redevelopment project as per the state governmentThe government claimed that there was no formation of contract between the government and the petitioner company and hence it has no legal right in the matter reported PTIIn November 2020 a government resolution was issued cancelling the first tender claiming that there was a material change in the tender condition after Bid Due Date reported PTIThe government further claimed that in the new tender the bids were to be submitted afresh and the petitioner could have submitted a fresh bid complying with its terms and conditionsWith inputs from PTI