.jpeg)
NEW DELHI: NHIDCL, a company under the road transport ministry, has cancelled a construction supervision contract for road tunnel in Mizoram awarded, which was awarded to a joint venture (JV) of railway PSU, RITES and a Turkish firm for failing to submit “national security clearance,” a development that comes in the wake of Ankara’s support to Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor.
As per the order issued last week by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), the contract for consultancy services as authority engineer for supervision of construction of 2.5 km long twin-tube Aizawl Bypass tunnel with approaches on NH-6 was awarded to RITES in JV with Tumas Turkish Engineering Consulting and Avok Engineering Consulting and Contracting. The contract agreement was signed on April 29 barely days before Operation Sindoor.
NHIDCL had, on May 28, asked the JV to obtain and submit national security clearance from the home ministry. But despite several reminders, the JV “failed to comply with this essential requirement” under the road ministry had signed the contract with the JV of RITES and Tumas Turkish Engineering in April. Post Operation Sindoor, the agency had asked the JV to submit “national security clearance”, but it didn’t comply with the instruction.
In its order, NHIDCL said “considering the strategic sensitivity of the project” the contract was terminated with immediate effect.
Soon after Operation Sindoor, govt had revoked the security clearance of Turkey-based Celebi Airport Services India and Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India. Subsequently, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad airports had severed ties with Turkish aviation ground-handling company Celebi.
