The Supreme Court has directed MMRDA to consult with the Maharashtra government regarding the possibility of re-tendering the Thane-Ghodbunder to Bhayander tunnel and elevated road projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region projects, which have a combined worth of Rs 14,000 crore. Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T), having been disqualified from the tender, approached the Supreme Court seeking an intervention to stay the financial bid opening process. 

According to a report in The Economic Times, the bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai stated, “This is thousands of crores of public money. Please take instructions. Else we will stay this order (of Bombay High Court).” 

The Bombay High Court had denied L&T’s request for a stay on the process concerning the projects but has ordered the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to preserve the electronic price bids for a period of two weeks, as per the report. 

The projects in question will link Thane and Mira-Bhayandar via twin five-kilometre tunnels from Gaimukh to Fountain Hotel junction at Shilphata and a 9.8-kilometre elevated road bridge connecting Bhayandar and Ghodbunder Road in Thane, valued at Rs 8,000 crore and Rs 6,000 crore respectively. 

L&T has claimed that the MMRDA failed to adopt a fair approach in handling the tenders. The company only became aware of its disqualification during a hearing on May 13, despite having submitted its technical bid in December the previous year. The company argued that the HIgh Court did not address the “unlawful and arbitrary tender process”. 

Furthermore, L&T argued that the MMRDA’s decision to proceed with opening the financial bids without informing them of the outcome of the evaluation was both discriminatory and arbitrary, violating principles of natural justice, the report stated. 

The proposed road bridge, in particular, will become the second-longest in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, trailing only the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.