Nagpur: In third attempt too no bids for Patwardhan Ground project

NAGPUR: MahaMetro’s ambitious project to build two multi-storyed commercial complexes at Patwardhan Ground in Dhantoli has found no takers in the third round of bids too. The third attempt to invite bids from private players ended on Thursday.

A source in MahaMetro said no reserve price has been kept for the bidders taking part in the tender process. This means rates can be quoted on an open basis. But the bids need to meet a benchmark set by MahaMetro, if not, the tenders can be re-invited.

The source said two lakh square feet area is available for each of the buildings along with a floor space index of 2.5. The plan is to connect the buildings with the Sitabuldi Metro station through a foot overbridge.

The project to be built on PPP basis is part of MahaMetro’s initiatives to generate non-fare revenue through real estate leasing. The Patwardhan Ground complex is one of two such major projects.

Initially, there was a plan to build a single 25-storey building at Patwardhan Ground which has been handed over to MahaMetro. Later, it was scaled down to two buildings each of 5 to 7 floors, said an official.

However, even under the renewed conditions, MahaMetro has not received any bids for the project, the source admitted. All that came was suggestions from some of the private entities which showed interest in the project but did not submit any bid. It is learnt, four parties had evinced interest, offering suggestions and seeking certain clarifications.

There was a query whether the project could be jointly developed, said a source in MahaMetro.

There is also a plan to have a 20-storey tower at the Zero Mile station, for which the tender process is yet to start, said a source in MahaMetro.

Bids for the Patwardhan Ground project were first invited in August 2020. At that time the financial bids did not meet MahaMetro’s targets. There was a similar response when the bids were again invited in August 2021. Based on the suggestions received then, the plan was changed to have two buildings instead of one.

The third round of bids was held from March end to May 19.