GMR-Fraport gets choice of airports

 GMR-Fraport, the lone bidder cleared by the E Sreedharan-led group of technical experts, will be given the option to choose between the Delhi and Mumbai airports, the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) today decided.

 After geting the best price from GMR-Fraport for whichever airport it chooses, the bidder for the other airport will be chosen from the remaining three contenders in the frey.  According to government sources, the ministerial group has decided to broaden the criteria for the technical evaluation of bids.  If the criteria are relaxed, the bids of GMR-Fraport, Reliance-ASA (Mexico), DS Construction-Munich Airport and GVK-South African Airport are likely to qualify for financial evaluation. This leaves out Essel-TAV and the Sterlite-led consortium.  Discounting any possibility of calling fresh bids for airport privatisation, the EGoM will open the financial part of the qualified ones