IT Correspondent
Mumbai, July 18:
In keeping with India’ policy to retaliate China, with wallet, instead of bullet, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has rejected the bids for a Rs. 800 crore project, from two Chinese companies that emerged as the lowest bidders for the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai expressway.
The bids were regarding two stretches of the upcoming expressway. However two Chinese companies were denied letters of award. Now the contracts will be offered to the second-lowest bidders, if their bids match the Chinese companies. The two companies were subsidiaries of “Jiangxi Construction Engineering Corporation”. The bids were rejected on issues of security clearances, officials here said.
The move comes after Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Chinese companies would be barred from highway projects. He said that they would not be allowed even as joint ventures.
Indian Railways had also recently cancelled a Rs 471 crore signalling contract awarded in 2016, to Beijing National Railway Research & Design Institute of Signal & Communication. The company was working on signalling and telecommunication work in the 417-km long Kanpur-Deen Dayal Upadhyay section. The decision was reportedly taken as the company had completed only 20 per cent of the total work.
These announcements have come after the India-China clash in the Galwan Valley that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers. India has already banned 59 Chinese apps, including “TikTok”, “UC Browser”, “Shein” over security concerns after the border clash.
