Hurdle in Mumbai’s water transport plan cleared

In a move that could finally get the water transport project, stuck for the past 27 years, moving, the Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, dismissed a petition seeking the stalling of its tendering process.

In a move that could finally get the water transport project, stuck for the past 27 years, moving, the Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, dismissed a petition seeking the stalling of its tendering process.

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In its charter presented to the government in June, Hindustan Times had suggested that the water transport project be speeded up.

Satyagiri Shipping Company, which had been awarded the contract in 2008, had filed a petition in the high court after its bid was scrapped by the state on technical grounds.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) had, in August 2010, decided to award the contract to the lone bidder, Pratibha Industries, which said it would run the Rs 1,200 crore project for 29 years. This decision was, however, subject to clearance from the state cabinet.

Satyagiri, which had not taken part in the bidding process, sought orders to restrain MSRDC from awarding the contract to Pratibha Industries Ltd alleging that MSRDC had altered technical criteria for the bids. A division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R V More, however, dismissed the petition saying the party that had not participated in the bid cannot challenge acceptance of a single bid on specious grounds of public interest.