Maharashtra : Adani, by bidding Rs 5,069 crore for the redevelopment of Dharavi, has won the bid, defeating DLF and Naman Group, the other two contenders.
Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Government floated the Global tender for the fourth time for the redevelopment of Dharavi on October 1, 2022. This after Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government’s cabinet in 2020 decided to cancel the tender for Dharavi Redevelopment that was floated by Devendra Fadnavis-led government in 2018. Post which the MVA had even claimed that it should float fresh tenders, but nothing much moved in that direction.
The tender floated by the Devendra Fadnavis government in 2018 was the third time the tender was floated for Dharavi Redevelopment. The first two times, the tender was floated when Congress-NCP were in power.
On November 16, 2022, when the first envelope was opened, there were three contenders: Adani, DLF and Naman. SVR Srinivas, the head of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, confirmed to SquareFeatIndia that Adani had bid the highest, which is Rs 5.069 crore. In contrast, DLF was second with a bid of Rs 2,025 crore, and the third bidder, Naman group, didn’t qualify on specific parameters.
The results will be sent to the government for a final call on it, said Srinivas.
What Led to Fresh Tenders?
In August 2020, during the MVA rule, the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) met to take a call on the Dharavi Redevelopment tender. The committee suggested cancelling the tender and proposed the same to the state government, which finally took a ring on it.
The CoS had relied on its suggestion on the advice of the Advocate General (AG), who advised fresh tenders. After floating the tender and receiving bids, the state government acquired 46 acres of land for Rs 800 crore from the Railway. Post acquiring this land and making it a part of the Redevelopment Project, advice from the AG was sought, who advised fresh tenders.
Dharavi is spread over 240 hectares of land and is centrally located. It is close to Bandra Kurla Complex, the financial hub of Mumbai.
In January 2019, Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) received two tenders, of which Seclink group was the frontrunner for the redevelopment of Dharavi, which, according to reports, had quoted Rs 7,200 crore. The total project cost was estimated to be above Rs 27,000 crore.
