None for the road: Govt scraps PPP plan for Rs. 6,290-cr expressway project after zero bids

In a sign of investor disinterest in road projects, the government has decided to scrap the plan to use the public-private partnership (PPP) model to build the Rs 6,290-crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) project.

Sources said the National Highways Authority of India did not receive a single bid for the project before the April 4 deadline and the project would now be developed in the conventional engineering procurement construction (EPC) mode.

According to officials, the bidding for the EPE project remained open for almost two months but closed without anyone showing interest.

At the time of request for qualification (RFQ), Reliance Infrastructure and IRB apart from Uniquest Infra Ventures, Srei-OHL consortium and IL&FS showed interest in the project but later all of them developed cold feet. It was the fifth time that the EPE was put out for bidding.

The Financial Express