Amid tensions between India and China, an uproar of 'Ban China' is emerging from all quarters and the latest to join the list is the Bihar Government. Bihar Minister Nand Kishore Yadav on Sunday informed that the contracts of two out of the four contractors who were selected for the construction of a new bridge parallel to Mahatma Gandhi Setu have been cancelled as they had Chinese partners.
"2 of 4 contractors who were selected for construction of a new bridge parallel to Mahatma Gandhi Setu, had Chinese partners. We asked them to change their partners but they didn't, so we cancelled their tender. We have called for applications again," Yadav said.
Seven contractors had applied out of which three were disqualified and out of the remaining four, two had Chinese companies as partners, the Minister said. "We have called for applications again on June 27, for which the last date is July 29," he added.
"It is an important bridge, and if the participation of foreign countries increases, it can be harmful. This decision was made after a lot of thinking and that's why we have retendered," Yadav further said.
Earlier, the Maharashtra Government had also put three Chinese deals worth Rs 5,020 cr on hold. The companies are- Hengli Engineering, PMI Electro Mobility Solutions joint venture with Photon & Great Wall Motors - signed the deal to invest in Talegaon, Pune.
“The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the Government of Maharashtra on 15 June has been kept as it is now, said State Industries Minister Subhash Desai. “We will wait for the central government to announce a clear policy regarding these projects in the current environment," he added.
