Mumbai: Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has failed to respond to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) letter seeking a copy of the financial estimates it voluntarily disclosed in open court.
The MMRDA, on June 10, wrote to L&T via email that the company to furnish detailed estimates, rate justifications, and supporting documents relating to the bids it had claimed before the Supreme Court. The agency gave L&T seven working days to respond — a deadline that has now passed. As of June 19, no reply has been received.
An MMRDA official said, “We are awaiting L&T’s reply to our letter to them dated 10th June. Once that’s received, we intend to verify the information provided and rework the estimates, with the aid of top experts in the field, so as to be aligned with the spirit of transparency and fairness.“
During the hearing of a petition challenging its (L&T) disqualification in two high-value tenders Gaikmukh Bhayander tunnel and elevated Rd project , L&T had asserted before the Supreme Court that it had quoted Rs 6,498 crore for the underground tunnel project (Gaimukh to Fountain Hotel Junction) and Rs 5,554 crore for the elevated road (Fountain Junction to Bhayander). The quoted amount was less than the qualified bidder.
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition as “infructuous” after MMRDA voluntarily chose to cancel and retender the projects in public interest.
Now, with the tender process set to restart, MMRDA had asked L&T to share those very estimates it openly mentioned in court. The intent is to allow the authority’s Tender Review Committee, comprising experts from IITs and finance, to objectively assess if L&T’s figures could serve as benchmarks for more competitive base rates, but L&T, has so far remained quiet.
Why MMRDA Disqualified L&T:
• Non-disclosure of past project collapse: Specifically, the Medigadda barrage in Telangana, which failed structurally and was verified by IIT Bombay and the Telangana Government.
• Failure to submit mandated documents during the bid process.
• MMRDA flagged the bid as “non-responsive, a condition upheld by both the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.
