NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The Bengaluru-based M/s GMR Airports Limited has bagged the contract to construct the Mopa international greenfield airport on 36.99 percentage revenue-share basis, Chief Secretary R K Srivastava said on Friday.
M/s GMR Airports Limited has been selected amongst the three qualified bidders for constructing the airport on a public-private partnership basis.
Addressing media persons along with civil aviation director Suresh Shanbhogue, Srivastava said that initially there had been five bidders – M/s Airports Authority of India, M/s GMR Airports Limited, M/s GVK Airport Developers Limited, M/s Essel Infra Projects Limited (Consortium) and M/s Voluptas Developers Private Limited (Consortium).
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar termed the completion of the bidding process for the Mopa airport as the “biggest fruitful achievement” of his tenure as Chief Minister, and said the first aircraft will land on the North Goa-based airport in the year 2019.
“The first phase of this airport would be completed in 2019, as per the schedule,” he added.
The Mopa airport will be built on ‘design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis’ at an initial cost of Rs 3,100 crore in the first phase. However, the total cost of the whole project with an extended terminal will be Rs 4,500 crore, Srivastava said.
Only three companies qualified for the bidding – M/s Airports Authority of India, M/s GMR Airports Limited and M/s Essel Infra Projects Limited (Consortium).
Essel Infra Projects Limited quoted 27 per cent revenue-share works, M/s Airports Authority of India quoted 32.31, while the GMR Airports Limited quoted 36.99 per cent revenue share. The contractor will be given the land initially for 40 years, and the ownership will remain with the state government. Thereafter there will another bidding to run the airport for the next 20 years.
Speaking telephonically to ‘The Navhind Times’, Parsekar, who is presently in New Delhi, said that apart from construction of the airport, M/s GMR Airports Limited will also build a starred hotel, a convention centre and an entertainment hub in its vicinity as part of the agreement.
“The government has only provided a land admeasuring one crore sq mts on the Mopa plateau for the development of the airport and other infrastructure,” he stated, informing that the government will annually receive 37 per cent share of the related gross revenue.
“The airport and other infrastructure proposed in Pernem taluka will give a shot in the arm to the taluka and its people,” Parsekar, who represents Dhargal electoral constituency in this taluka, observed adding that the airport would directly as well as indirectly provide economic benefits to the taluka.
Maintaining that Goa has been a global touristic destination due to which M/s GMR Airports Limited had impressively quoted for the tender, the Chief Minister said the Bengaluru-based company is an experienced company having expertise in the field of aviation.
“It has developed and is operating two of the major airports in India namely Indira Gandhi international airport in New Delhi and Rajiv Gandhi international airport in Hyderabad,” he added, pointing out that the latest assignment of this company is Mactan–Cebu International Airport in Philippines.
Stating that August 26, 2016 would go down as a historic day for Goa as the tender for a dream project was awarded, the Chief Secretary said that some 20 years ago 2000 acres of land was acquired.
Srivastava said that on the basis of request quotation floated on October 3, 2014, the directorate of civil aviation floated the financial bid (request for proposal) to the qualified agencies, and the last date for receipt of financial bid had been extended to August 26, 2016.
The Chief Minister also said that he, during the day attended the NITI Aayog’s first ‘Transforming India’ lecture, delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Parsekar said that Chief Ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states would be attending a meeting on August 27, presided over by Modi in the presence of the national BJP president, Amit Shah.
The Chief Ministers are expected to make presentations on best and innovative schemes implemented in their respective states, while giving a report card of work done during their tenure at this meeting.