Chinese companies banned highway projects: India is moving fast towards economic action against China. First, 59 Chinese apps were banned. Now the entry of Chinese companies will also be stopped in the highway project. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday that India would stop the entry of Chinese companies into highway projects.
Gadkari said that if a Chinese company tries to enter highway projects through joint ventures, then that too will be stopped. Apart from this, he said that the government will also ensure that Chinese investors are not entertained in the MSME sector.
Gadkari said that soon a policy will be brought on the basis of which the entry of Chinese companies will be closed and rules will be made easier for Indian companies. Indian companies should get the maximum chance of participation, this aspect will be kept in mind while making policy.
Regarding the current Chinese investment in highway projects, Gadkari said that there are only a few projects which include Chinese investment. In such a situation, he said about the current issue tender that if there is a Chinese venture, the tender process will be adopted again. Regarding the new rule, he said that it will apply to the current and upcoming tenders.
Union Transport Ministers have decided that rules have been simplified to give Indian companies a better chance in highway projects. For this, a joint meeting of the highway secretary and NHAI will be held, in which the technical and financial norms will be made easy regarding the tender. He clearly stated that the rules will be made in such a way that Indian companies do not have to resort to foreign companies to get the tender.
After the Galvan Valley incident, Indian Railways was the first to make a big decision under the #BoycottChina campaign. They had cancelled the contract of Rs 471 crore received by the Chinese company. The railway had cancelled a contract awarded to the Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Limited of China. The incident is dated 18 June. A violent skirmish took place in the Galvan valley on 16 June, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute got the contract to make Kanpur-Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) section. It is about a 417 km long corridor. The project was worth Rs 471 crore. This contract was awarded in 2016. The contract was cancelled by Railways citing reasons why the work was not accelerating in four years.
