Financial bid for Metro works opens today

NAVI MUMBAI: After a long delay, work for the city's first Metro seems to be back on track.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) on Friday will open financial bid to finalize the contract to carry out system work, which includes laying of tracks, signalling and telecommunication.
Cidco Chief public relations officer Mohan Ninawe said, "Of the six bidders, three companies qualified for the technical bid.On Friday, the financial bid will be opened, after which the lowest bidder will be awarded the electrical and mechanical work."
According to Cidco officials, three companies - Larsen & Toubro, Ansaldo and Alstom qualified for the technical bid. "The work is being done in four stages - viaduct, station building development, construction of depot and finally, the system work," the official added.
Earlier, Cidco was set to open tenders for electrical and mechanical work for the 11-km CBD Belapur-Pendhar Metro in October. But due to technical glitches, the agency lost nearly three months, thus resulting in further delay. Though 55% of the first phase work is completed, due to delay in finalizing the tenders and other issues, Cidco has now set 2015 as the new deadline for rolling out services in the satellite city. The Rs 2,000 crore project undertaken by the town planning body is being built on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) basis.
Navi Mumbai's first metro railway project was inaugurated by chief minister Prithviraj Chavanin May 2011. The CM then had instructed the town planning authority to complete the project within three years, before 2014.
In first phase the metro network will connect from Belapur to Pendhar. The CIDCO plans to build similar network of 106 Km across the satellite city in phases, including the plan to provide connectivity to the Navi Mumbai airport