Left sees red over rejection of Chinese bid for aerobridges

Centre's decision to reject the bid of a Chinese company for installing aerobridges, reportedly due to 'security reasons', threatens to snowball into a major controversy with the CPI(M) joining issues with the UPA regime on this matter.

MP Tapan Sen, a senior Left leader, has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking clarification as to how China is being perceived as a security threat.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had invited bids through a global tender for supply, installation and commissioning of 42 units of Passenger Boarding Bridges.

According to Sen, the lowest offer of Rs 79.10 crore came from a Chinese company M/s Shenzhen Cimac-Tianda Airport Support Ltd. It has been rejected leaving only one bidder in the field (a Spanish company), which quoted Rs 189 crore for the same job.

The MP sought to draw the attention of the PM to the Delhi High Court order dated May 9, 2006, regarding this issue.

According to his letter written on Thursday, the court after going through the files submitted by the government observed, "If it is really security perception, then this court will be reluctant to interfere in the matter. But under the garb of security reasons, it is also not open for the respondent to create a monopoly."

Since the HC refused to interfere in this matter, the Chinese company has now approached the Supreme Court, Sen said.

Incidentally, the same Chinese company had been supplying PBBs to AAI since 1997 and has installed them at Kochi, Hyderabad and Bangalore airports.

According to his letter, the affidavit submitted on behalf of the AAI before the HC stated that after the 9/11 incident, security threat perception has changed globally.

Meanwhile, CITU today opposed the proposal to allow 100 per cent FDI in coal industry, while CPI opposed disinvestment of PSUs like NALCO and Neyveli Lignite Corporation to the extent of 5 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.