Hyderabad company leads race for project

NEW DELHI: A Hyderabad-based infrastructure firm is likely to be awarded the contract for the construction of the long-pending Zojila Tunnel in the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, after the Centre shortlisted three firms for the project, officials familiar with the matter said. Government’s nodal agency for the strategic project, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, had issued a tender in June and opened the bids on July 24.

The NHIDCL shortlisted three firms -- L&T Construction, MEIL and railways’ PSU Ircon International Limited (IRCON) -- on Tuesday. Hindustan Times has reviewed a copy of the notification. “Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has emerged as the lowest bidder and is likely to be awarded but no official award letter has been issued yet,” a senior official, said requesting anonymity. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 4429.83 crore. The project, which will be implemented in two sections, involves the construction of a connecting road from Z-morh Tunnel to Zojila Tunnel and a 14.150 km long bi-directional tunnel across Zojila Pass on the Sonamarg-kargil section of NH-01 on Engineering, Procurement, Construction mode.

The first section of the project is expected to be completed in 2.5 years and the second part 6.5 years. “MEIL has become an L-1 in the most prestigious Zoji-la pass tunnel in Jammu Kashmirladakh in Himalayan region. National Highways and Industrial Development Corporation (NHIDCL) has opened the bids on Friday, and MEIL topped the list by quoting less than other companies. MEIL topped as L-1 by quoting for a less amount than the other two companies. On 30th July, three companies submitted the bids to NHIDCL, and the finance bids opened on 21st August. The project to be constructed in 2 divisions in two sections of about 33 kilometres,” MEIL said in a statement Friday.