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Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
After L&T's challenge, MMRDA scraps tenders for 14k cr road projects
Mumbai/New Delhi: In a major relief for construction major Larsen & Toubro, MMRDA informed a Supreme Court vacation bench that it has in public interest scrapped its tenders for the Thane-Ghodbunder- Bhayandar twin tunnel and elevated road projects — estimated together at Rs 14,000 crore — and that it would possibly reissue fresh ones, but added it is for the state govt to take a call on, reports Swati Deshpande. The matter reached SC after L&T challenged MMRDA's decision to reject its technical bids for the projects. Megha Engineering and Infrastructure, which was a prominent purchaser of electoral bonds prior to being scrapped by SC, was declared the successful bidder. CJI B R Gavai remarked Friday this is the era of transparency and that the court was concerned with the larger public interest. The bench had Thursday also expressed surprise that technical bids of a firm which had built Central Vista and Atal Setu were rejected. After a Supreme Court bench of CJI B R Gavai and Justices A G Masih and A S Chandurkar was informed Friday about scrapping of the bidding process for the two projects, the SC disposed of the L&T's appeal as infructuous. "It is for the Maharashtra govt to take a call on whether to invite fresh tenders for the two projects," said MMRDA counsel solicitor general Tushar Mehta and Mukul Rohatgi. The elevated road project proposed a 9.8km overbridge along Vasai Creek and is part of an extension of Mumbai Coastal Road Project. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Что происходит при сжигании лаврового листа? Undo The Road Tunnel Project involved design and construction of a five-km long twin road tunnel from Gaimukh to Fountain Hotel junction on Thane Ghodbunder Road. The Supreme Court in its order noted both Mehta and Rohatgi for MMRDA "fairly submitted that the state has decided to scrap the entire tender process in the larger public interest and will take such steps, as are advised". The SLPs were thus rendered infructuous, said SC. L&T went to the high court on May 13, the day the financial bids were to be opened for the second-largest road project after Atal Setu. It said MMRDA was flouting instructions to bidders and PWD and CVC guidelines of informing bidders of the technical bid round outcome, which precedes the opening of price bids. In court, MMRDA said L&T and two others of the five bidders were found "non-responsive" or disqualified, and it was not mandatory to intimate the results to the bidders before the final winning or lowest bidder (L1) was selected post the last and financial round. L&T senior counsel A M Singhvi and Kapil Sibal informed the Supreme Court the difference between the L1 and its client was over Rs 3,100 crore. No other bidders were made party by L&T to its petitions. Before the Bombay High Court, L&T senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas also said "hypothetically" if in one project there were two tenders—one for the tunnel and one for the elevated road—the difference was over Rs 2,000 crore, would the public exchequer not suffer? The high court vacation bench dismissed the L&T petitions on May 20, citing MMRDA's argument of it being a large public infrastructure project which could brook no delay and the fact that the company participated in the bidding process and did not challenge the terms of the tender. L&T immediately challenged the high court order before the SC. On Monday, the Chief Justice-led bench wondered aloud in court how L&T could have been found technically disqualified and asked MMRDA to consult the state and see if it was willing to re-tender the project, else it would pass orders on Thursday. On Thursday, MMRDA counsel, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Mukul Rohatgi, informed the high court that it was in touch with the govt top brass and sought a deferment to Friday. Last Oct, after L&T moved HC, MMRDA extended the tender deadline by 60 days for its two mega projects. Pic for representation
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bombay HC halts MIAL tender move on Celebi's plea
MUMBAI: Bombay HC's vacation bench on Monday restrained Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) from making a final decision on bids invited on May 17 to replace a Turkiye-based company's Indian arm for ground and bridge handling services, reports Swati Deshpande. The decision will remain in effect till a regular bench, after reopening, hears the challenge raised by the entity to its security clearance revocation. On May 15, BCAS, citing security concerns, had revoked the clearance granted to Celebi Airport Services. Celebi Airport Services India and Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India then petitioned Delhi HC. Last week, Celebi NAS Airport Services India Pvt Ltd approached Bombay HC against the revocation.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SC grants four week status quo on proposed demolition of dargah near Mumbai
Swati Deshpande Mumbai: The Supreme Court Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai, on Monday granted a four-week status quo over claims of a proposed demolition near dargah at Uttan, near Mumbai. A petition filed by Balepeer Shah Charitable Trust stated that on May 16, the vacation bench of Bombay HC declined to intervene, but one of its members was informed of the impending demolition on May 20. The HC vacation bench of Justices Kamal Khata and Arif Doctor declined to intervene, stating that urgency was not made out since no demolition notice was issued by the state authority to the trust. The trust then moved the SC for orders to direct the state to follow due process of law. Its counsel, V Navarre, with advocate Prashant Pandey, contended there was an impending threat of demolition of the structure, which was in existence for more than eight decades. The urgency was wrongly ignored by the HC, said lawyers for the Trust, citing a notice dated May 15, 2025, received by its member from a senior police inspector of Uttan Sagari police station of the Mira Bhayandar and Vasai Virar commissionerate under Section 168 of BNSS. The notice stated that the state govt declared the unauthorised construction of the dargah would be removed on or before May 20, 2025, and that the members of the petitioner's trust were warned against creating any law and order situation. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Here's What a 6-Hour Gutter Upgrade Should Cost You In 2025 HomeBuddy Undo Recently, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in response to a question raised on the issue of the dargah by legislator Niranjan Davkhare in the state Legislative Council, assured its demolition. It has been alleged that the Bale Shah Peer Charitable Trust encroached upon protected mangrove belts located on govt-owned land parcels near the sensitive Chowk jetty in Uttan near Bhayandar. The Trust denied the allegations and said the HC erred by "adopting a hyper-technical approach" and ignored the fact that the police authorities stated in their notice that the authorities would remove the structure and render its plea before the court infructuous unless a stay is granted. The Dargah is of "Hazrat Sayyed Peer," the Trust said. The trust also informed the SC that Bawankule mentioned before the Maharashtra state assembly on March 29, 2025, that the structure would be demolished. The trust has already approached the chief minister, revenue minister, and the state secretary and has claimed it is being arbitrarily targeted by the govt without following the due process of law. Fearing it may be too late if illegally demolished, the trust sought a stay from the SC. The top court posted it after a month but said a status quo would be maintained till the matter is heard.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Almost all domestic help women from state, old age their only exit, finds study
Mumbai: A study released Saturday revealed that 99% of surveyed domestic workforce in Maharashtra comprised women, of whom over 20% are widowed, and 40% sole earners of their families. More than 98% of the workers were from the state itself while the rest were migrants. Of the 5,000-plus surveyed across 15 districts, 47% workforce is from Scheduled Castes, reports Swati Deshpande. The majority (83%) of domestic workers are engaged part-time across multiple households, while 16% work full-day shifts in a single household without residing there. Over 94% also said they worked as domestic workers for 20–30 years, often starting between the ages of 20–25 and continuing until around age 55, suggesting long-term engagement in same job with no upward mobility. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Nationwide, while 28.9 million domestic workers are registered on the e-Shram portal, Maharashtra accounted for less than a million — 8.2 lakh — revealed the joint study on the condition of domestic workers in the state, conducted after a ruling by the Supreme Court in Jan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Don't Miss The Top Packaging Trends Of 2025 Enhance Your Brand With The Latest Insights Packaging Machines | Search Ads Search Now Undo A joint study on the condition of domestic workers in the state was released Saturday by NGO Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) and Maharashtra Rajya Gharelu Kamgar Samnvay Samiti (MRGKSS) following an SC order. The SC had then urged the Centre to consider enacting a comprehensive law to protect their rights as they largely remain excluded from labour laws. The study found that alarmingly, only a small percentage (5%) received any skill training, though 20% expressed willingness to be trained, indicating the only exit from domestic work tends to be old age. Educational levels remain low, with one-third of those surveyed never attending school and another large segment (45%) only completing primary education. One-fifth of school-aged children of those surveyed dropped out or never enrolled in school, the report said. Yet, the overwhelming presence of women highlights how paid domestic work remains an extension of the gender division of labour at home. Further, nearly 2% are abandoned and 1.5% are divorced, while 20% are widowed, yet the access of domestic workers to social protection is extremely limited, the study revealed. The SC acknowledged the distinct vulnerabilities and systemic neglect faced by the domestic workforce and underscored the need for a targeted legal framework. It directed the ministry of labour and employment, along with other relevant ministries, to form an expert committee to assess the feasibility of such legislation. The survey is to contribute to the formulation of a domestic worker policy given a "glaring absence of reliable, official data on this sector due to its informal nature," the NGO said. Domestic workers and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are interconnected, and formalising the domestic workforce is crucial, experts said, given that the demand for such a workforce is only set to rise due to rapid urbanisation, nuclearisation of families, and increasing female labour force participation in India. In 2011, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted a landmark Domestic Workers Convention to ensure minimum working standards and wages, which India adopted but has not yet ratified. The terms at which they enter work with employers are largely dictated by the latter. As a result, wide variations exist in wages, holidays, bonuses, increment, quantum of work, and hours. A comprehensive rights-based legislation is required, setting minimum standards for working conditions, the two NGOs thus suggested. While over 60% earned less than 10,000 per month, over 4% made between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000, and 2% above Rs 25,000. The Maharashtra Domestic Workers' Welfare Board (MDWWB) operational since 2011 reflected over 5 lakh registrations from 2011 to 2023. The numbers started decreasing drastically from 2014, reaching their lowest during the Covid-19 pandemic with only 2,631 workers renewing registrations and 11,512 new ones getting added in 2022–23, the report noted. Almost 70% remain unregistered and nearly 60% say they did not even apply due to lack of awareness, cumbersome processes, and a perception that registration provides no tangible benefit. Even among those registered, 92% reported not receiving welfare support, said a release after the study was officially launched at a state-level domestic workers' conference in Mumbai.
