Builder moves HC over ‘faulty’ BDD chawl bidding process
TECHNICAL GLITCH The tenders of this ambitious project are worth Rs 10,700 cr
Even as the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has finalised three bids for the Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawl redevelopment project in Worli, a fourth bidder has challenged the bidding process after he could not get through due to a technical glitch. The developer, Shapoorji Pallonji, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking an approval for registering his bid. An official said that this may further delay the evaluation-process.
According to a MHADA official, Pallonji had finished the first two steps in the online bidding process, however, it failed to freeze the bid before the given deadline due to a technical glitch. He said, “We had given the bidders ample amount of time to bid for the project because of which the deadline was extended by 10 days.” The bidding process will involve the evaluation of technical bids and financial bids respectively. The official added that the BDD chawl needs immediate revamp considering its structural condition.
Currently, an eight-member committee comprising bureaucrats and experts is scrutinising the technical bids in order to select a suitable design for the project.
The technical bids involve the entire plan of the construction and the structural design of the project. A senior MHADA official said, “The committee conduct a final meeting in the coming weeks and will then decide on the technical bids.”
On the other hand, the financial bid involves costing of the materials to be provided by the bidders and the quotation for different quality of materials of different prices. The financial bids will also be decided by the committee after which a final evaluation will be conducted. Several developers have been eyeing this project since this would create a massive housing stock at a prime location in Mumbai.
This is one of the most ambitious projects in Central Mumbai whose tenders are nearly worth Rs 10,700 crore. The project involves the entire revamp of around 121 buildings in Worli which is spread across over 50 acres of land. Apart from rehousing the existing tenants in the redeveloped structure, the project will also create 16,000 affordable houses. The existing tenant will receive a 500 square feet apartment each in the redeveloped structure.
The developer Shapoorji Pallonji was unavailable for comment despite being contacted.