K'taka to invite fresh bid for two airport projects

The Karnataka government is considering to inviting fresh bid for two Greenfield airport projects proposed at Shimoga and Gulburg in the state. Each project cost has been estimated to Rs.110-crore.

These projects are awarded to ‘Maytas’ running by B Teja Raju, the son of tainted owner of scam-hit Satyam Computer Services in which Raju’s family holds 36% stake in Maytas.

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According to official sources, Maytas is part of a three-member consortium including Nagarjuna Construction Corporation (NCC) that had won the successful bidding of two airport projects of total worth of over Rs. 200-crore in global bidding before the unearthing of the Satyam’s mega financial scam of Rs.7,800-crore.

The involvement of Maytas led the government to reconsider the decision for which Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has convened a meeting on Thursday with the investment committee.

After the meet Yeddyurappa said, ‘We will call for new bids to replace Maytas as we want the two projects to be implemented soon and to be completed within the schedule.’ In this regard, he has already spoken to state secretary Sudhakar Rao, added Yeddyurappa.

Besides these projects, Maytas is also involved in a proposed 10-km highway on Hosur Road that will link Bangalore, the state capital and Information Technology hub of India, with other IT hubs Mysore, Hassan, Davangere, Hubli, Dharwad, and Mangalore. The project is jointly promoted by the state government and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) with IT industry participation under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.