Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has told the Bombay High Court that the new tender issued last year for Dharavi slum redevelopment project was “absolutely transparent” and no undue favour was shown to the highest bidder Adani Group. The government has also stated that new tender postulates accommodating the non-eligible slum tenements for which appropriate provision is made.
The submissions were made by the government in an affidavit filed earlier this month in reply to a petition by the UAE-based company Seclink Technologies Corporation, challenging the government's decision awarding the project to Adani Properties Private Ltd.
The petition is listed for hearing before a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor on Thursday.
Will be accommodating seven lakh non-eligible slum dwellers: Govt
In the old tender, the non-eligible slum tenements were not entitled for rehabilitation in the redevelopment scheme. They were asked to approach the nodal agency under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna.
However, the government said, that under the new tender, they will be accommodating around seven lakh non-eligible slum dwellers thereby making the whole redevelopment process more inclusive and more complex.
“Under the new tender, the selected bidder will also be required to accommodate the non-eligible slum tenements in affordable housing or under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and pertinently such requirement was not there in the old 2018 tender,” it added.
The government has said that the cancellation of the tender process has been conducted after following the proper process and denied having floated new tender to favour Adani.
“I say that the new tender process was conducted in an absolutely transparent manner and in fact the new tender attracted more bidders than those who had participated in the old tender,” the affidavit filed by the deputy secretary of the state housing department said. The allegations made by the petitioner are far-fetched and implausible, it added.
Dharavi project can change the lives of slum-dwellers, says govt
The government has termed the Dharavi redevelopment process as an extremely vital public purpose project which will change the lives of thousands of persons presently living in squalor and disrespectful conditions. “Any attempt made by persons to derail this redevelopment project should be thwarted as any stay on such projects would seriously impede the execution of the redevelopment project,” it added.
The affidavit further added that it was not open for the petitioner “to question the wisdom of tender conditions as it is the sole domain of the authority”. The new tender was issued with revised terms and conditions in a bona fide manner and on a rational basis after obtaining approval of the Committee of Secretaries and the Cabinet, it said.
“There is no question of excluding anyone's participation as the bids were required to be submitted afresh and the petitioner also could have submitted a bid by complying with the terms and conditions of the new tender,” the affidavit contended. Seeking dismissal of the petition, the government has said that it has made “unfounded and reckless allegations” and that the same is “politically motivated without any basis or material as indeed none exists”.
Adani group emerged as the highest bidder in the 2022 tender process
The Adani Group had emerged as the highest bidder for the 259-hectare Dharavi Redevelopment Project and bagged it with its ₹5,069 crore bid in the 2022 tender process.
Seclink was the highest bidder with ₹7,200 crore bid in the first tender which was issued in 2018. It challenged the government decision to cancel the 2018 tender and issue a fresh tender in 2022 with additional conditions.
In February, the government had filed an affidavit saying that the tender was cancelled and a fresh tender was issued in 2022 because of several factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war which affected the financial and economic state of affairs.
