Kerala government had decided to participate in the bidding process for the Thiruvananthapuram airport based on the principle of right of first refusal, but despite the special provision it didn’t qualify, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri said on Thursday.
“Following a meeting with EGoS [Empowered Group of Secretaries], the GoK [Government of Kerala] themselves decided to participate in the process & requested that their participation be based on RoFR [right of first refusal]. This was agreed upon. It was stipulated that if the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) bid comes within the 10% range of the winning bid, they would be awarded the work. There was a difference of 19.64% between them & the next bidder when bids were opened,” said the Minister presenting the Centre’s stance in a series of tweets.
While the highest bidder, Adani Enterprises Limited, quoted ₹168 per passenger, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) quoted ₹135 per passenger, and therefore, despite the special provision of the right of first refusal the Kerala government couldn’t win the bidding process, said the Minister.
