Apparently realising that he is fighting a losing battle in the High Court, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has taken a U-turn on the Swiss Challenge method adopted for favouring a Singapore consortium on the development of the core capital of Amaravati.
The Naidu government told the High Court division bench that it was withdrawing its petition file earlier challenging the verdict of the single judge bench giving stay on the Swiss Challenge method.
It told the court that a fresh notification would be issued calling for open global tenders for development of Amaravati, instead of the Swiss Challenge method; and anybody can directly bid for the project.
The High Court sought to know whether the issues raised by the single judge bench would be addressed. The government said it had made several changes in the CRDA Act subsequently and hence, there would not be any objection to other bidders.
The court, then, told the petitioners that if the government returns to Swiss Challenge method, they could approach the court again.
