Airports upgrade: Essel seeks PM's help

Ahead of the crucial meeting of the group of ministers (GoM) to decide the fate of Delhi and Mumbai airports tomorrow, Essel TAV, one of the bidders in the fray, has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention for starting the whole bidding process afresh.

The appeal by the consortium, with its majority owned by Subhash Chandra's Essel Group, is backed by a legal opinion of former Chief Justice R C Lahoti.

In a letter to the prime minister, Essel TAV said the ongoing technical evaluation process of the bids has "come under severe controversy and serious questions have been raised on the technical evaluation process."

Quoting legal opinion, Essel TAV said, "The entire tendering process stands vitiated. Two courses are open. First, the process may have to be done afresh from the stage of EoI, excluding the present financial and legal consultants and substituting them by independent and impartial consultants. Or else, the entire process has to be initiated afresh."