4 foreign firms bid for New Bombay airport project

The Maharashtra government has received four proposal from foreign firms for the construction and development of the New Bombay airport, a project envisaged by the City and Industrial Development Corporation as part of the 'Advantage Maharashtra' programme.

The state government will sign an agreement -- one of 22 proposals made -- by December 1997, said Vishwas Dhumal, CIDCO vice-president and managing director.

Companies from America, Canada and Germany have submitted their proposals for the construction of the international airport and an international exhibition centre near Khandeshwar railway station, at a total cost of Rs 20.15 billion. The construction of the airport and exhibition centre were clubbed together to reduce cost, said Dhumal, adding that the first phase of construction should be complete by 2000.

The state government has allotted CIDCO a grant of 26 per cent of the project cost. This is one of the corporation's 12 big projects expected to develop New Bombay through privatisation.

Compiled by Prasanna D Zorey from the Marathi press