Uralungal Labor Contract Cooperative Society has been awarded the contract to develop the 39 km road from Thalappadi to Chengala on National Highway 66 (formerly NH 17) as a six lane road. The road development, which is part of the Bharat Mala project, is being built in hybrid annuity mode along with maintenance of 15 years.
Ahmedabad-based Adani Group, Hyderabad-based Megha and KNR groups also participated in the global tender. The Uralungal Society won the contract in competition with these groups. This is the first time that the Uralungal Society has participated alone and won the contract of the National Highways Authority.
This is the largest contract ever awarded to a contractor from Kerala. The Uralungal Society is the only contractor from Kerala eligible to participate alone in the tender for the National Highway Development Program, which includes projects such as the Bharat Mala and the Golden Quadrilateral Super Highway. Uralungal is also the only co-operative society in the country that can undertake such activities.
The Society got the contract for the first stretch from the state border for ₹1704.125 crore. This is ₹132 crore less than the second lowest bid. Adani Group bid ₹1836.49 crore, Megha Group bid ₹1965.99 crore and KNR Group bid ₹2199.00 crore.
The construction period is two years. The estimated cost is ₹1268.53 crores. Only 40 percent of the contractual amount will be allotted during the construction phase. The rest of the amount will be given as 30 installments during the remaining 15 years. The contractor, Uralungal Society, would have to secure 60 percent of the construction cost and also bear the interests on its own.
The tender process for 11 stretches from Thalappadi to Kodungallur and three stretches from Paravur in Alappuzha district to Kadampattukonam for the six-laning project from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram are going on. Of these, the tender processes of stretches from North to Kapirikkadu have been completed. Others will be completed soon.
