Deep-sea port: Bengal to skip consultant stage, invite bids

Economy Bureau
Posted: 2008-02-22 23:34:35+05:30 IST
Updated: Feb 21, 2008 at 2353 hrs IST

Font Size

Feedback

Discuss

Kolkata, Feb 21, 2008 : The Union government has allowed West Bengal to go ahead with its proposed deep-sea port project without re-tendering for a consultant.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this month to allow the state to invite bids straightaway from prospective investors and developers and skip the process of appointing consultants as it would only delay matters.

The proposal for a deep-sea port, which is critical for the new steel projects and the petrochem hub coming up in the state, had failed to attract any consultant when it was first floated around two years ago.

The Centre had even sanctioned a fund for a consultant to survey for a location on the state’s coastline, but the terms of reference kept away firms from the first tender process.

In a meeting on Wednesday between TK Nayar, secretary to the Prime Minister’s office, and top state officials, it was decided that the state could go ahead with the bidding process directly without appointing consultants.

According to the state government, re-tendering would delay the project by another two years. It has now proposed to ask the developers to submit bids and suggest sites.

“The PMO has assured us of all sorts of help in the due process,” he said. The state would now recruit an expert to prepare the bidding document for the deep-sea port project. The bidding document will specify parameters like the draft and number of terminals for container and bulk cargo.

Discuss this story on expressindia forums

Post Comments

Comments: (Limit 3,000 characters)

Name		Message
Email ID
Subject

TERMS OF USE:
The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

I agree to the terms of use.