With Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) floating tender to lease out three of its prime south Mumbai plots to generate revenue, firms including Larsen and Toubro (L&T), Godrej, Welspun World, HN Safal, Runway Developers and DB Realty have shown interest, civic officials said.
The civic body had floated the tender, earlier in October, seeking bids from private stakeholders for leasing out the three plots located in Worli, Malabar Hill and Fort.
These plots will be leased out for a period of 30 years and civic officials maintained that the revenue generated will be used for bankrolling some of the major infrastructure projects that BMC has taken up over the past five years.
Even as the pre-bid meeting for the plot concluded on November 12, the BMC has extended the deadline of receiving bids against the tender till December 16.
The BMC’s tender documents show that eligible companies must have a minimum gross turnover of Rs 300 crore and a minimum average net-worth of Rs 150 crore in the last three years.
Meanwhile, in the pre-bid meeting that was held on November 12, multiple bidders had raised queries over the current status of these plots.
For example, the Malabar Hill plot houses an electricity receiving station of the BEST.
The minutes of the meeting shows that L&T raised a query with regards to the current status of reservation of the plot under the BMC’s Development Plan (DP) rules and whether the same plot is to be developed into an open space as per the state government’s directive.
“The subject land is reserved for an electric transmission and distribution facility as per the DP 2034 plan. The said plot was handed over to BEST in 1989. Hence the auction of the aid plot shown as existing amenity is only proposed,” the BMC’s reply stated.
The HN Safal, meanwhile, inquired about the present reservation of the plot under the coastal regulation zone (CRZ). However, the BMC clarified that the said plots are not falling under CRZ buffer zones.
Besides the Malabar Hill plot, the Fort plot houses a fish market, while the other plant at Worli houses an asphalt plant and one of BMC’s testing laboratories.
“As of now, these six companies (L&T, Godrej, Welspun World, HN Safal, Runway Developers and DB Realty ) have shown their interests in leasing out the plots. We have responded to the queries they raised during the pre-bid meeting.
Now that the final date has been extended we are awaiting the final responses from the prospective bidders to submit their quotes,” a civic official said.
“The final deadline for submitting the bids has been postponed so that the bidders can analyse the BMC’s responses which have already been submitted to them via e-mails,” the official added.