Thane: Following favourable rulings from both the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of India, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans to re-tender the ambitious Thane Ghodbunder–Bhayandar tunnel and elevated road project.

The infrastructure initiative, set to become the second longest elevated road in the country after the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (Atal Setu), had been mired in legal controversy after engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) challenged the tendering process. L&T alleged unfair disqualification from the bidding procedure. However, the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of MMRDA.

L&T had filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court requesting interim reliefs, including a stay on the opening of financial bids and a halt to the issuance of the Letter of Award. The apex court rejected the SLP.

The disqualification stemmed from L&T's failure to meet a crucial eligibility criterion which required bidders to affirm that no bridge or barrage constructed by them had collapsed within two years of completion. MMRDA concluded that L&T's disclosure did not satisfy this condition, and consequently, its financial bid was never considered.

Despite securing legal validation, MMRDA voluntarily informed the Supreme Court of its intent to scrap the existing tenders and initiate a fresh bidding process. The authority emphasized that this decision was not legally mandated but was taken to uphold principles of ethical governance and transparency.

In a significant development, MMRDA is also contemplating a downward revision of the project's estimated cost by Rs 3,000 crore. This reassessment, the authority stated, is based on financial data disclosed during the legal proceedings and aims to ensure more judicious use of public funds.

The Ghodbunder–Bhayandar link is poised to play a transformative role in enhancing connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and the renewed tendering process is expected to attract a broader and more competitive pool of bidders.