MUMBAI, April 4: Gujarat Toll Road (GTR) Ltd has shortlisted five consortiums to bid for the Baroda-Halol highway project, the first recourse road project in the country. The shortlisted consortiums are Larsen & Toubro, the Shaporji Pallonji consortium, Ircon & Punj Lloyd, Madhucon-Binapuri and Hindustan Construction along with Renang of Malaysia.The project, which will be the first major road project to reach financial closure at the state level, is expected to take off by October 1998. One of the bidding conditions is that the consortium which is awarded the contract will have to execute the project in 18 months.
The final round of bidding was kicked off on Friday in Mumbai, with GTR making presentations to the five shortlisted consortiums. The five consortiums were shortlisted out of a list of nine. These nine were shortlisted from an original list of 18 applicants who had evinced interest two years ago.
The shortlisted bidders have made commitments to bid for a combination of construction andoperating and maintenance (O&M) contracts.
The selection of the contractor is the only step that needs to be taken before the project can take off.
The World Bank is likely to fund a substantial part of the Rs 135-crore project. Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Company (IL&FS), one of the promoters of GTR along with the Gujarat government, has already prepared a detailed project feasibility report which has been given to the bidders. The feasibility report also outlines the complex financial structuring of the project.
The consortium which wins the award will be required to strengthen and widen the 33km stretch of the road which connects Baroda with Halol with an additional four lanes.
The commercial traffic as well as the transit traffic will be tolled and will be routed through four central lanes, while the local traffic, which is not tolled, will use the two lanes at the outer edge of the toll roads.
This is the first major road project on a project recourse basis for strengtheningexisting roads. Once the structure is accepted and executed the state government has plans to give out the other stretches also along similiar terms.
The term of the project is for 30 years after which the road goes back to the state government. The successful bidder will construct and maintain the roads. Toll collection and maintainence may be farmed out to a different company.
Another project along similiar lines is the Rs 352-crore Ahmedabad-Mehsana 62km road project. The project, also promoted by GTR, will soon go into the final bidding process.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
