GMR, GVK, L&T qualify for next stage of bids for new Kushinagar airport

Mumbai: Gammon Infrastructure Projects, GVK Developmental Projects, GMR Infrastructure and Larsen and Toubro have passed the first stage of bids to build the Kushinagar international airport. GMR was rated the highest, on financial and technical capacity. Kushinagar is about 60 km west of Gorakhpur, in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The four are now eligible for the second stage, the deadline for applying to which ended this month.
The department of tourism, Government of UP (GoUP), had invited applications from interested bidders early this year for upgrading an existing airstrip to an international airport at Kushinagar and integrated development of a ‘Buddhist circuit’, covering the Buddhist heritage sites of UP, on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis. About 41,600 foreign tourists visited Kushinagar during 2008, according to the department.
After evaluating the financial and technical capacity of the bidders, Hyderabad-based GMR Infrastructure was rated the highest by the evaluating committee. GMR was awarded 387 marks on its technical capacity and had the highest weighted average net worth of Rs 12,424.3 crore in the financial capacity category. L &T came a close second in technical capacity and scored 290 marks, while GVK had the second highest weighted average net worth, of Rs 5,685.97 crore.
The marks were awarded on the basis of the experience of each company in operating, commissioning and constructing airports. The minimum net worth of the applicants had to be Rs 300 crore at the close of the preceding financial year.
01/05/10 Sneha Kupekar/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports May 2010, New May 2010