Former Prime Minister Deve Gowda asked to vacate his guest accommodation at VP House
New Delhi, Oct 26: The Union government has asked former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda to vacate his guest accommodation at Vithal Bhai Patel House in Lutyens' Delhi, sources said on Saturday.
They said being a former prime minister, Gowda, however, has been allowed to stay at his official Safdarjung Lane bungalow.
Gowda had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The senior JD(S) leader has been in the possession of his official residence as well as the guest accommodation in Lutyens' Delhi for several years.
"Besides the official residence, he (Gowda) has been using the guest accommodation at V P House on Rafi Marg. He has been asked to vacate the guest accommodation," said sources.
Meanwhile, around 25 former MPs are yet to vacate their official residences, despite lapse of five months after the dissolution of previous Lok Sabha.
According to rules, former MPs have to vacate their bungalows within a month of the dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha.
President Ram Nath Kovind had on May 25 dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha with immediate effect on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet after Prime Minister Modi formed government for a second term.
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Adani Group emerges lowest bidder for Bengaluru’s 16.75-km tunnel road project
Bengaluru: The Adani Group has become the lowest bidder for both packages of the proposed 16.75-km tunnel road project in Bengaluru, according to sources familiar with the bids opened by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE).
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Monday, the government estimated the entire project to cost Rs 17,698 crore, while the Adani Group has quoted Rs 22,267 crore. The ports-to-power conglomerate’s bid is about 24% higher for the first package and 28% higher for the second than the government’s estimates, a gap that could prompt authorities to seek the state Cabinet’s approval on the tenders’ fate.
M Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), who is also the Managing Director of B-SMILE, declined to comment.
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In all, four infrastructure companies had participated in the tenders for the project, which has been proposed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with 40% funding from the government and the remaining investment to be raised by the private concessionaire.
During the technical evaluation, the Adani Group and the Hyderabad-based Vishwa Samudra Engineering Ltd qualified for the financial round.
According to the report, Dilip Buildcon was disqualified due to a clause that bars firms linked to collapsed bridges or tunnels, while Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) was rejected because its joint venture (JV) partner did not meet technical requirements.
With only two companies left in the fray, the Adani Group emerged as the lowest bidder, ahead of Vishwa Samudra.
The tunnel project officially named the North–South underground corridor, is part of the Congress government’s ambitious to ease Bengaluru’s traffic congestion by building two major underground roads (totalling 40 km) along with 13 flyovers and elevated corridors.
The project is the brainchild of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister.
The proposal, however, has faced criticism and political opposition, especially from senior BJP leaders, who object to the alignment that requires acquiring six acres of Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a historic green space.
As per the report, Urban mobility experts have also warned that the tunnel corridor may clash with the alignment of Namma Metro’s Phase 3A, possibly affecting the metro expansion.
