Latest news with #MMRDA
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Business
- Indian Express
L&T yet to respond after Supreme Court hearing over elevated road and tunnel projects: MMRDA officials
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has not yet replied to a formal request by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority requesting the country's largest infrastructure company to provide financial estimates and rationale that it presented in the Supreme Court in a recent case, said MMRDA officials Friday. The email sent on June 10 gave L&T seven working days to respond, but there was no reply as of Friday. 'We are awaiting L&T's reply to our request. Once that is received, we intend to verify the information provided and rework the estimates, with the help of top experts in the field to be aligned with the spirit of transparency and fairness,' an MMRDA official said, requesting anonymity. L&T did not comment when reached out by The Indian Express. L&T had approached the Supreme Court challenging its disqualification for two major infrastructure tenders issued by MMRDA for elevated road and tunnel projects in Mumbai. During hearings in the Supreme Court, L&T claimed it had bid for the underground tunnel between Gaimukh and Fountain Hotel Junction at Rs 6,498 crore, and for the elevated road from Fountain Junction to Bhayander at Rs 5,554 crore. The Supreme Court subsequently rejected the petition as 'infructuous' following MMRDA's decision to cancel and re-tender the two projects. After the court hearing, MMRDA asked L&T for the same documents backing cost claims, such as rate justifications and supporting calculations. An MMRDA official said these figures would enable its Tender Review Committee to assess and, if the need arose, adopt them as benchmarks in re-estimating the project before launching the new bidding process. Officials said that even after publicly announcing the numbers before the Supreme Court, L&T did not respond to MMRDA. 'L&T's quietness has questioned the validity of its court affidavits and its willingness to be cooperative in an open and transparent tender process,' added the official. According to the official, L&T was disqualified by MMRDA for multiple reasons, including its failure to disclose the structural collapse of the Medigadda barrage in Telangana — a project it executed and which was later verified as failed by IIT Bombay and the Telangana Government. Additionally, the company did not submit key documents required as part of the bidding process. As a result, MMRDA declared the bid 'non-responsive,' a decision that was subsequently upheld by both the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
MMRDA to re-tender twin infra projects for Thane-Bhayandar
MUMBAI: Two big ticket infrastructure projects to improve road connectivity between Thane and Mira-Bhayander will soon be re-tendered by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The development authority on June 10 had sought detailed financial estimates, rate justifications and supporting documents from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the projects. L&T's bid for the two projects combined - ₹3,130 crore - was less than the lowest bidder declared by the MMRDA. Hence, the engineering company had moved the Bombay high court as well as the Supreme Court, challenging the decision to award the contracts to Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL). During the hearing of the petition challenging its disqualification in the two high-value tenders, L&T had asserted before the Supreme Court that it had quoted ₹6,498 crore for the Gaimukh to Fountain Hotel Junction Twin Tunnel and ₹5,554 crore for the Fountain Junction to Bhayander Elevated Road. 'We gave L&T seven working days to respond, a deadline that has now passed. As of June 19, no reply has been received. This silence raises questions about the seriousness of L&T's courtroom claims,' shared an MMRDA official. 'When a firm makes financial claims in the Supreme Court, it has the responsibility to back those up. Especially when it involves public money and a government agency formally requests it for details.' The apex court dismissed L&T's petition as 'infructuous' after MMRDA voluntarily chose to cancel and re-tender the projects. MEIL had submitted quotes of ₹9,019 crore for the elevated road and ₹6,163 crore for the tunnel project, a total sum of ₹15,182 crore as against ₹12,052 crore by L&T. 'With the tender process set to restart now and the bids legally sealed under tendering rules, MMRDA has asked L&T to share the estimates it had openly mentioned in court (even though it has been disqualified). The intent is to allow the MMRDA's Tender Review Committee, which has members from IIT and finance backgrounds, to objectively assess if L&T's figures can serve as benchmarks for more competitive base rates,' said the official. An email sent by HT to L&T for a comment on this development did not elicit any response.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
L&T yet to respond on cost details of 2 projects
Mumbai: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is yet to respond to a formal request from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) seeking cost estimates it voluntarily disclosed in the Supreme Court (SC)for two key infrastructure projects: the Gaimukh–Fountain Hotel underground tunnel and the Fountain Junction–Bhayander elevated road. On June 10, MMRDA emailed L&T, asking for detailed cost estimates, rate justifications, and supporting documents cited during court hearings related to its disqualification from the tenders. The agency gave the firm seven working days to respond, but no reply was received as of June 19. "We are awaiting L&T's reply... Once that's received, we intend to verify the information provided and rework the estimates with the aid of top experts so as to be aligned with the spirit of transparency and fairness," said an MMRDA official. In court, L&T said it quoted Rs 6,498 crore for the tunnel and Rs 5,554 crore for the elevated road — totalling nearly Rs 12,000 crore. Megha Engineering India Ltd (MEIL), the lowest bidder, quoted Rs 14,000 crore. SC dismissed the matter as infructuous after MMRDA opted to retender the project, after a query from the bench about L&T's claim of a significantly lower quote. "When financial figures are shared in court, it's fair to expect supporting documentation if formally requested by a public authority," said a senior MMRDA official. — Manthan Mehta
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
MMRDA to levy daily fines on contractors for labour shortage
Mumbai: With four metro rail projects scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2025, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Wednesday introduced a new penalty policy, whereby contractors will be fined ₹1-2 lakh per day for shortage of manpower at worksites. 'We have appointed dedicated team leaders for each metro package, which has made a measurable difference in site progress. This new policy is the next logical step,' said Sanjay Mukherjee, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA. 'We have observed that currently, most infrastructure and metro rail projects have 40-60% of the sanctioned labour force working. So we have framed this penalty policy,' an MMRDA official told Hindustan Times. Effective immediately, the new policy would be applicable for all MMRDA worksites, though priority would be given to Metro rail corridors, especially lines 9, 4, 4A and 2B which are slated to be commissioned by year-end. A 25-50% shortfall in manpower will attract a penalty of ₹1 lakh per day while a shortfall above 50% will attract ₹2 lakh per day as penalty, an MMRDA official told Hindustan Times. 'No prior notice or exceptions would be made and delivery timelines would be non-negotiable,' the official said. Fines for shortage of manpower would be levied in addition to fines for missed deadlines, the official clarified. All ongoing metro projects have been assigned to senior officials who will be responsible for monitoring them and ensuring their timely completion, said sources in the planning authority. Designated officials will conduct periodic site audits and manpower reviews to identify any labour shortfall, besides scrutinising reports submitted by general consultants overseeing the projects, they said. Labour shortage was a major problem during the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected construction work for the metro 2A and metro 7 corridors, said MMRDA officials. 'Recently, there was a shortage of workers for Metro 2B, for which fines were levied. Metro corridors 9, 7A, 5 and 4 too have labour shortage problems, especially during the summer when workers return to their hometowns. Contractors will have to find ways to manage such situations,' said a senior MMRDA official. But contractors were sceptical about the new policy. 'With infrastructure works including metro rail corridors being built across the country, there is no doubt that there is a shortage of workers in the market,' a contractor with several projects in the Mumbai metropolitan region told Hindustan Times. 'Besides, workers go home during the festival seasons, which further delays work. These factors need to be considered rather than simply levying fines.' The MMRDA has, in the past, levied penalties worth ₹1.29 crore on contractors for delays in civil works, roofing and structural works for the metro 2B corridor. In 2024, penalties worth ₹2.75 crore were levied for leakages in metro projects, missed deadlines and accidents on site.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Metro to fine contractors for shortage of employees
Mumbai: Facing tight deadlines across over 150 km of metro lines, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has introduced a new policy to penalise contractors for workforce deficiencies, putting execution front and centre of Mumbai's transit push. Under the revised framework, a 25–50% shortfall in manpower will attract a penalty of Rs 1 lakh per day, while any gap exceeding 50% will invite a fine of Rs 2 lakh daily. Missing key construction milestones, known as Key Dates (KDs), will draw further contractual penalties. The fines will be levied without prior notice. MMRDA sources said the policy aims to enforce discipline and accountability. "Delivery timelines are non-negotiable. This isn't just about penalties—it's about commitment to the city and its commuters," an official said. Periodic audits and manpower reviews will now become part of standard procedure, with general consultants and metro engineers tasked with close monitoring. Contractors will also be required to submit weekly manpower deployment plans, with daily reporting of ground strength. CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "We're not just building metro lines, we're building trust. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch xu hướng AUD/USD? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo This policy isn't punitive, it's progressive. The world is watching how India builds its cities, and Mumbai must lead by example." Deputy CM and MMRDA chairman Eknath Shinde said the city can't afford slowdowns. "MMRDA is working at an unprecedented pace, and there's no room for compromise. If enforcing tough measures is what it takes to stay on track, so be it," he said. Metropolitan commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee said, "Dedicated team leaders for each metro package helped improve site progress. This policy is the logical next step. We aim to commission multiple corridors by year-end; we're not just working faster, we're working smarter."
