MUMBAI: Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) company Reliance Infrastructure (Rel Infra) has moved the Bombay High Court (HC) challenging the
rejection of its bid for toll contract at five entry points in Mumbai by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). Rel Infra has accused the state body of favouring a particular contractor for collecting toll.

The case came up on Tuesday before Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice A M Khanwilkar, when the company asked for a week’s time to make amendments in its petition and to add the winning bidder as a respondent in the case.

The company has alleged that its exclusion from the second round of bidding for the Rs 2,100-crore project is illegal and arbitrary. Rel Infra said it had met with all mandatory requirements of the tendering process and was not even informed about its bid being rejected. Rel Infra had earlier written to MSRDC regarding the latter’s non-responsive attitude while apprehending a lack of transparency in the process, it said in the petition.

Rel Infra counsel Iqbal Chhagla, along with counsel Janak Dwarkadas, contended that the existing toll contractors were managing the toll collection for over 17 years. Rel Infra alleged that MSRDC was favouring the current contractors. MSRDC counsel Rafiq Dada informed the court that there were three contenders at the second stage and their bids were being evaluated.

The project will run till 2027 and will cover the toll centres at Vashi, Mulund, LBS Road, Airoli and Dahisar. The two-stage bidding process involved the approval of the bidder’s financial criteria and experience first. The bidding is not on the amount, but on the number of years in which the contractor ensures collection of the project amount.

Rel Infra had bid for 11 years. Considering that the current contractor has managed the collection for 17 years and one month, the difference ensuing the additional six years amounted to almost Rs 10,000 crore, Mr Dwarkadas later said.