Maha govt defends on new tender issued to Adani Group for Mumbai's Dharavi slum redevelopment project

The new tender issued in 2022 for the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in Mumbai was transparent and no undue favour was shown to the highest bidder Adani Group, the Maharashtra government has submitted to the Bombay High Court.

The government earlier this month submitted its affidavit in response to a petition filed by the UAE-based company Seclink Technologies Corporation, challenging the government's decision awarding the project to Adani Properties Private Ltd. The petitioner has made unfounded and reckless allegations such as actions of respondents being politically motivated without any basis or material as indeed none exists. For making such reckless allegations alone, the writ petition deserves to be dismissed with costs, the affidavit said.

A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor will hear the plea on Thursday. The affidavit filed by the deputy secretary of the state housing department said the petitioner company has made false and baseless accusations that the cancellation of the old tender was politically motivated and these allegations are denied.

I say that the cancellation of the tender process has been conducted after following proper process. I further deny that the new tender was floated to favour Respondent No. 3 (Adani). I say that the new tender process was conducted in an absolutely transparent manner and in fact the new tender attracted more bidders than those who had participated in the old tender, the affidavit said.

The allegations made by the petitioner are far-fetched and implausible, it added. The government said the Dharavi redevelopment process was an extremely vital public purpose project which will change the lives of thousands of persons presently living in squalor and disrespectful conditions. Any attempt made by persons to derail this redevelopment project should be thwarted as any stay on such projects would seriously impede the execution of the redevelopment project (which are of vital public importance), it said.