Delhi HC orders status quo in Sindi dry port case, next hearing on July 16

Nagpur: The Delhi high court has ordered a status quo till the next hearing in the Multimodal Logistics Park (Sindi dry port) case. Delta Corp, whose contract for developing the dry port was terminated in Sept last year, had moved the court after Hyderabad-based AMR India emerged as the successful bidder in the fresh tender. The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 16. This means signing of the final contract for the project will have to wait till then. Sindi dry port, the pet project of Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, is being brought up by National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML). Delta Corp's contract was terminated on the grounds that it failed to meet the step-by-step milestones for developing infrastructure in its capacity as concessionaire. After Delta Corp moved the court against the move, an arbitration was ordered into the matter. Delta Corp again went to court after AMR India bagged the contract, challenging the move as the arbitration proceedings were yet to be concluded. Even as the letter of award has been issued to AMR India, a final contract is to be signed with NHLML. The court has ordered that notice be issued to AMR India also and sought its reply.The dry port is dubbed to be one of the biggest facilities in the region, which is expected to reduce the transport costs. The ultimate idea is to also connect the region to Bangladesh through a riverine route, leading to a major cut in logistics cost.