Navi Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) will put up a proposal, on Wednesday, before the Project Monitoring and Implementation Committee (PMIC) to seek an extension on bidding time for request for qualification (RFQ) for the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project. The current deadline is June 18.
This development comes at a time when, according to reports, Tata Realty and Infrastructure is looking at a possible joint venture with Ferrovial SA of Spain — the biggest shareholder of London's Heathrow Airport — to bid for the NMIA project. Ferrovial SA and Tata Realty and Infrastructure are among the companies that responded to the RFQ floated by Cidco on February 5.
Cidco MD Sanjay Bhatia said, "At the pre-bid meeting held in the first week of April, bidders had sought an extension of the deadline. They required more time and there were some queries. So, we will approach the PMIC. In the meantime, we are also going to give a relief and rehabilitation (R&R) award to one village in about 20 to 25 days."
Eleven bidders participated in the pre-bid meeting on April 2.
Representatives of Tata Realty and Infrastructure and Ferrovial SA were also present at the meeting. This was the first meeting after the RFQ was floated by Cidco on February 5.
Finalization of the RFQ bid is the first step towards developing the airport, as it will involve selecting and appointing a strategic partner to undertake the project.
The PMIC, headed by state chief secretary JK Banthia, was set up by the Centre last year to ensure speedy approvals and expedite the Rs 15,000-crore project.
Cidco is scheduled to hold its board meeting on Tuesday, before it puts up the proposal for extending the present deadline on Wednesday. It is likely that the PMIC might accept Cidco's proposal. Government sources said that the application due date might be extended till end of July.
The project, conceived about two decades ago, has been delayed a lot because of land related hurdles.