SC reserves verdict on Vizhinjam Port project

The SC reserved its verdict on petitions filed by a consortium led by Hyderabad-based Lanco Kondapalli Power Ltd, the Kerala Government and others on the Rs 6,000-crore Vizhinjam harbour project coming up in Kerala.

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on petitions filed by a consortium led by Hyderabad-based Lanco Kondapalli Power Ltd, the Kerala Government and others on the Rs 6,000-crore Vizhinjam harbour project coming up in Kerala.

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The Kerala High Court had put a temporary objection to all tender activities related to the project and had also raised an objection to the Kerala Government's decision to approve the tender submitted by a consortium led by Lanco Kondapalli Power Ltd for developing the international container trans-shipment terminal.

Besides, it had also asked the state government to reconsider the bids of Mumbai-based Zoom Developers.

A bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat, while reserving its verdict on the pleas, maintained its status quo order on the harbour project proposed to come up under public-private partnership at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Lanco Kondapalli Power, the Kerala government and Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd, the nodal agency for developing a modern, all-weather deepwater seaport and container trans-shipment hub, had challenged the High Court's ruling that ordered that Zoom's bids should also be considered by the Bid Evaluation Committee.

Zoom's tender was rejected by the Committee, which cited a violation of provisions in the original bid document, and the tender was awarded to Lanco. Zoom had challenged the disqualification and the state government's decision to award the contract to Lanco.

The consortium that gets the project can run the port for 30 years and then hand it over to the government. Besides Lanco and Zoom, the other bidders were Videocon Industries, Nagarjuna Construction and Apollo Enterprises