State yet to finalise bidder for IMS vikrant makeover

The makeover of INS Vikrant will be delayed further. HT reports.

The makeover of INS Vikrant will be delayed further.

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The state government is still undecided on which of the two bidders, Amby Valley and Akruti City, who evinced interest in building the first-of-its-kind floating museum, should be awarded the project.

The bids were opened on Tuesday but the state government refrained from awarding the contract, as it now wants the joint apex committee consisting of state and navy officials to evaluate the two bids.

“We have opened both the financial bids. However, a decision on awarding the contract will be taken after the recommendations of the joint apex committee,” a senior state government official said.

The plan to change the naval ship into a museum was first proposed on January 31, 1997, the day the naval aircraft carrier was decommissioned.

The state had earlier invited bids for the Rs400 crore project in April 2010. Five shortlisted bidders — HCC Infrastructure, Srei Infrastructure, Kalpataru Power, Dhoot Developers and Zoom Developers — were asked to submit financial bids after they qualified in the technical bids round, but no one turned up.

The state then re-tendered the project in September 2010.

The present bidding process too has run into controversy as certain provisions such as allowing the setting up off a helipad and starting a helicopter ferry service were changed after the bidding process started due to objections raised by the defence.

The two bidders have raised concerns about scrapping of these facilities after the bid was floated.