Though JNPT was free to open the bids (since the petition is yet be admitted and there is no stay), it decided against it as the case can take any course. Of the five parties that submitted bids, Adani, which is running the Mundra Port in Gujarat, was the only one denied security clearance. If its petition is admitted, it will further delay the bidding process, as the validity of the bids expires on June 30. Since Adani was also denied security clearance for bidding for another terminal at Vizag, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust has also been made a party to the case.
The tender for the Rs 6,500-crore fourth terminal project floated last year was already delayed due
The fourth terminal is crucial to JN Port as the existing terminals are operating at more than 100 per cent capacity. This is not an ideal situation as it could put huge pressure on men and machinery at the port, said a port user.
Possible bidding delay for Jawaharlal Nehru Port
