Eighteen companies, including construction majors L&T Ltd and Reliance Infrastructure, have bid for the Rs 46,000-crore Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, the super communication highway that would connect Mumbai to Nagpur.
The MSM or the Nagpur Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (NMSCE) is the brainchild and the flagship project of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is the nodal agency for the project. Officials of the MSRDC on Wednesday opened the financial bids submitted by the qualified contractors to construct 13 packages of the 700-km MSM.
Construction has been divided into 16 packages and the bid process for the remaining three packages is still in progress.
The 18 eligible bidders are Megha Eng & Infra Ltd, NCC Ltd, TPL CENGIZ JV, L&T Ltd, SadbhavEng Ltd, Reliance Infrastructure, PNC Infratech Ltd, Afcon Infrastructure Ltd, BSCPL GVPR J/V, Navyuga Eng Co Ltd, APCO Infratech Pvt Ltd, ILFS Transportation network Ltd, KNR Constructions Ltd, Dilip Buildcon Ltd, Montecalro Ltd, Iron Tingle Ltd, Ashoka Buildcon Ltd, Gayatri Projects Ltd and Oriental Structural Eng Pvt Ltd.
Commenting on an important development in the process of MSM, vice-chairman and managing director of MSRDC, Radheshyam Mopalwar, said: “With the opening of financial bids, we have achieved a milestone in the implementation process of the project. We are now very close to the historic moment of an inauguration. We shall soon undertake an evaluation of the eligible bids before issuing the work orders. We are expecting the beginning of the construction work for MSM within next two weeks."
As on date, the government has acquired 80.25% private and government land as against a total compensation of Rs 4,788 crore for the mega project.
The project will connect 10 districts, 26 talukas and 392 villages. It will help the state prosper through a holistic process that integrates road connectivity with sustainable rural development through agri-business ecosystem and multidimensional sub-projects.
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