: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun inquiries to find out whether the two companies that submitted bids for the Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) contract for the four-laning of the 26.7-km stretch between Kazhakuttam and Mukkola of the NH 66 bypass are blacklisted.
The NHAI has asked its project implementation offices across the country, State Public Works Department, Railways, Airports Authority of India (AAI), and others to inform within 10 days whether the bidders, L&T and Hyderabad-based KNR Constructions Ltd, have been blacklisted for discrepancy in the works awarded to them.
They have been told to reply to the NHAI head office in Delhi within 10 days, a top NHAI official told The Hindu on Thursday. The financial bids submitted as part of the ‘two cover system’ on April 10 for the project would be opened only after the replies are received.
A letter in this regard also reached the NHAI office in the capital on Thursday. One of the bidders is involved in the civil work of the Kochi metro and Kannur international airport. The firm that has quoted the lowest rate will get the EPC contract. The NHAI is learnt to be taking all precautions as the earlier efforts to award the work on BOT mode were not successful owing to the non-cooperation of road development companies. The official said the EPC contractor would be known by month end.
The NHAI is keen on beginning the work before the monsoon. It has done the groundwork to begin the project. Land for a four-lane carriageway was acquired from Kazhakuttam to Kovalam Junction when the bypass was conceived.
But the lanes on either side of the existing bypass that was opened to traffic 15 years ago have been encroached upon in many places, especially in the Chakka-Enchakkal-Thiruvallam sector. Removal of illegal buildings and felling the trees will be the main challenges. The corridor is part of the 43-km NH 66 bypass conceived 41 years ago from Kazhakuttam to Inchivila on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The NHAI has moved the KSEB, KWA, and others for shifting the utilities and cutting the trees.
NHAI has sought report within 10 days
EPC contractor to be finalised by month end
