The tender allocation for the much-anticipated Amaravati Iconic Towers has finally been completed.
Originally scheduled to conclude in May, the process was delayed until the end of June, reportedly due to various administrative and procedural issues.
The tenders for the Secretariat and Heads of Departments (HoD) Complex, to be built as part of the Amaravati Government Complex, have been awarded with an estimated cost of Rs 3,673.43 crore (excluding taxes).
Interestingly, all the contracts were bagged by major firms — Larsen & Toubro (L&T), NCC, and Shapoorji Pallonji — raising questions due to the uniformity in their bidding patterns.
L&T secured the tender for Towers 3 and 4 of the Secretariat with a 4.54% excess bid, increasing the project cost from Rs 1,247.22 crore to Rs 1,303.85 crore.
Shapoorji Pallonji won the contract for constructing Towers 1 and 2 of the Secretariat with a 4.50% excess bid, raising the cost from Rs 1,423 crore to Rs 1,487.11 crore.
On the other hand, NCC bagged the contract for the General Administration Department (GAD) Tower, which will house the Chief Minister's office, with a 4.53% excess, taking the cost from Rs 844.22 crore to Rs 882.47 crore.
The total excess burden on the state exchequer due to these bids stands at around Rs 158 crore.
There are also allegations that the estimation process itself was manipulated to favour certain companies.
Chief Secretary Suresh Kumar issued orders on Thursday to grant Letters of Award (LoAs) to the selected companies.
