Financial bids called for Mumbai Metro II; project to start in January 2009

Mumbai: The state government has asked the seven shortlisted consortia, including the two led by the Ambani brothers and Tatas, to submit detailed financial bids for the 38-km second Mumbai Metro line between Charkop and Mankhurd via Bandra.

The line would also pass along the main road of Bandra-Kurla Complex -with a stop at MMRDA's headquarters - and pass through Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg at Kurla to Mankhurd via HD Barve Road.

Technical bids of all seven consortia have been cleared and that they have been asked to participate in the last financial competition, to be held soon, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)  commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad said.

Bidders in the final round include a consortium of L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Limited, GE India Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, and Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles; a consortium of pioneer Infratech, Mitsubishi and Tata Power; a consortium of GVK, Yeoh Tiong Lay of Malaysia, and Bombardier Transportation (USA); a consortium of Reliance Industries Ltd (Mukesh Ambani), Siemens, and Gammon India Ltd;  a consortium of Essar, Alstom, and Lanco; a consortium of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd, IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd, and Punjlloyd Limited; and a consortium of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Energy, Reliance Communication and SNC Lavalin.

The Metro II line with a total of 27 stations, will cost a total of  Rs7,660 crore. The central government will also contribute Rs1,532 crore as viability gap funding (VGF) for the project.

Work on the project is expected to start by January next year.

The central government's department of economic affairs and its empowered committee have already cleared the financial estimates of the project.

The state government plans to rehabilitate 14,000 project-affected persons (PAPs) along the line on a 50-hectare plot in Charkop.