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Reliance petition on Airports bid deferred
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday postponed the hearing on the petition filed by Reliance Industries, challenging the Government's decision on awarding contracts of modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports to rival companies till February 6. Anil Ambani owned Reliance Airport Developers, which had emerged unsuccessful in the Delhi and Mumbai Airports modernisation bid, filed its petition on Thursday in the High Court here.
In its petition, Reliance Airport Developers, a company of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Enterprises (ADAE) Group had challenged the manner in which the consortium led by it was downgraded resulting in GMR-Fraport consortium being awarded the contract for Delhi Airport. According to the Reliance Airport Developers, the Government had departed from the tender conditions just two hours before awarding the final bid which was untenable and unconstitutional. According to the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ajay Prasad, there has been free transparency in awarding the bid. He said "we are ready to face any legal action." The counsel for the GVK, R. Karanjawala had also confirmed the receipt of the copy of the petition filed by the Reliance Airport Developers. The Centre had awarded contracts to revamp and run two biggest airports in the country to consortiums involving overseas firms on January 30. The Civil Aviation Ministry had awarded the contract for New Delhi airport to a consortium led by GMR group which has entered into collaboration with German airport operator Fraport. For the Mumbai airport revamp, the bid was won by a group led by GVK Industries Limited and the Airports Company of South Africa. The Cabinet also gave its approval to the allocation of the revamp bids - announced by an empowered Group of Ministers on January 31 and the airports are expected to be handed over to the companies within three months.
Protesting
against the privatisation of airports, the employees of the Airports Authority
of India began strike at the Delhi and Mumbai Airports which continues
for the third day today. Most employees at the two airports, and the Left
parties have opposed the privatisation, saying the revamp should be done
by the State. Leftist leaders have said they were not against the government's
plans to upgrade the two airports to international standards, but they
opposed their privatisation. The two airports are estimated to require
an investment of up to 200 billion rupees (4.5 billion dollars) over a
five-year period to construct much-needed parallel runaways, world-class
terminals and shopping facilities.
-Feb
3, 2006