The bus shelter modernisation project of the Chennai Corporation is set to gain speed with the civic body opening the financial bids for construction of 99 such modern facilities across the city.
The bids of the five companies that cleared the pre-qualification stage are being scrutinised, sources in the Corporation said. The bid of the successful company would be placed before the Works Committee and the Committee on Taxation and Finance and then before the Corporation Council. The five companies are Laqshya Media Ltd., Reliance Media World, RBPL-RPPL Ltd., Vantage Advertising and Prakash Arts Ltd.
The Corporation has around 740 bus shelters, including 377 that were handed over by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation following a court order. Officials said that tenders would be floated for all shelters in a phased manner. The successful bidder would have to install shelters made of stainless steel according to the design specifications of the civic body.
The civic body now plans to approach the Madras High Court seeking to club six writ petitions filed by advertising companies. The court had granted maintenance of status quo on the agreement that the companies have with the MTC to advertise on the 800-odd shelters that had been originally owned by it. They had said that the Chennai Corporation must not interfere with the advertisement rights until the period of agreement got over.
Official sources said there was no bar on installing new bus shelters in the city and that shelters could be constructed next to the existing facilities.
