Maha govt left with no choice but to defend questionable decision-making: Cong

The Congress took a swipe at the Maharashtra government on Wednesday over the Dharavi slum redevelopment project alleging that it was left with no choice but to defend its brazenly questionable decisionmaking to help the Adani Group take control of a prize real estate asset in Mumbai reported the PTIAccording to the PTI the opposition partys attack came after the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court that the new tender issued in 2022 for the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in Mumbai was transparent and no undue favour was shown to the highest bidder the Adani GroupIn a post on X Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a swipe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying it is noteworthy that he handed Dharavi over to Adani on his last day as housing minister but it was another matter that this favour hasnt yet paid off for the perpetual CMinwaiting as per the PTIHaving executed the PMs orders and delivered the Dharavi slum development project to his most favoured businessman the Maharashtra government is left with no choice but to defend its brazenly questionable decisionmaking and contortions to help the Adani Group take control of a prize real estate asset in the heart of Indias commercial capital Mumbai Jairam Ramesh said according to the PTIThe original Dharavi tender which a Dubaibased firm had won with a bid of Rs 7200 crore was cancelled in 2020 because of issues related to the transfer of railway land Jairam Ramesh said the news agency reportedBut the conditions of the 2022 tender issued by the BJPled state government were designed to help the Adani Group which had come off secondbest in the original tender and exclude the original winner the Congress leader allegedThis included a doubling of the net worth of bidders to Rs 20000 crore and permitted the winner to pay in installments rather than as a onetime payment as originally specified which helped the cashstrapped Adani Group win with a bid of Rs 5069 crore ie Rs 2131 crore less compared to the original winning bid Ramesh alleged according to the PTINot only that railway land worth at least Rs 1000 crore is being acquired by the government and passed over to Adani on a platter he claimed as per the PTIFurthermore the rehabilitation cost for the railway staff and slumdwellers will also be borne by the government Ramesh said the PTI reportedThese extraordinary concessions given to the PMs closest friend is a shining example of Modani Hai to Mumkin Hai the Congress general secretary added the news agency reported on WednesdayEarlier this month the Maharashtra government submitted its affidavit in response to a petition filed in the high court by the UAEbased Seclink Technologies Corporation challenging the governments decision to award the project to Adani Properties Private LimitedThe Adani Group led by industrialist Gautam Adani had emerged as the highest bidder for the 259hectare Dharavi Redevelopment Project and bagged it with its Rs 5069crore bid in the 2022 tender processIn the first tender issued in 2018 the petitioner company had emerged as the highest bidder with its Rs 7200crore bidThe state governments decision to cancel the 2018 tender and issue a fresh tender in 2022 with additional conditions was challenged in the high court by the United Arab Emiratesbased firmwith PTI inputs