Two days after it invited bids for the construction of the Prime Minister’s Residence, the Central Public Works Department on Monday withdrew the tender, citing “administrative reasons”.
This withdrawal was the second time the CPWD cancelled the tender for the ₹360 crore project, with the first time being in July. The CPWD had invited pre-qualification bids from construction companies on October 1 and set October 14 as the day for the opening of bids. The CPWD would have then invited the qualified bidders to submit financial bids, based on which a contractor would have been chosen.
The CPWD had first floated the tender for the project on July 18, however it was withdrawn on July 22 citing the same, “administrative reasons”.
The project, proposed to be built adjacent to the Rashtrapati Bhawan and South Block on Dara Shikoh Road, is part of the government’s Central Vista redevelopment plan. The new official residence of the Prime Minister was estimated to cost ₹360 crore for construction and five-years maintenance and take 21 months to complete, the now-cancelled tender said.
According to the document, the complex would be spread over 21,000 square metres and include buildings for the Prime Minister’s Residence, the Prime Minister’s Home Office, the Special Protection Group Office, Seva Sadan and a guest house, as well as basement parking. The proposed project would have a sewage treatment plant, 25 watchtowers and four entry and exit gates.
The CPWD’s bid document said the site was in a “highly secured zone”. “The proposed buildings shall be of reinforced cement concrete framed structure building. The existing structures in Blocks A & B are to be demolished before the start of new construction,” it said.
As a part of the Central Vista revamp, the government has also proposed constructing a Prime Minister’s Office near South Block. The CPWD had floated the tender for the Executive Enclave project, which is what the PMO complex would be known as, in May, after cancelling the first one. The second tender had an expanded scope of work. Bids for the ₹1,316 crore project were opened in June and DEC Infrastructure and Projects (India) Pvt. Ltd. emerged as the lowest bidder. The project is yet to be awarded.
