M'sian Firms Bidding For Road Projects Totalling 3,000km In Rajasthan

From D. Arul Rajoo JAIPUR, April 3 (Bernama) -- Several Malaysian road builders are currently bidding for state road projects in Rajasthan totalling more than 3,000 kilometres (km), said Prime Minister Najib Razak. "We hope their bids will be considered favourably as the Malaysian bidders represent the opportunity to add significant value through their use of technology and innovation, through the transfer of knowledge and skills, favourable financing conditions, and the sharing of expertise and experience," he said. Najib pointed out that the Malaysian construction companies had more than two decades of history of participating in projects in India. "In fact, India is the country with the largest number of projects carried out by Malaysian contractors. "From 1996 until end-2016, they had successfully completed 98 projects in India valued at RM16.06 billion (or US$4.64 billion) in total," he said. The Prime Minister said this at a "Briefing and Discussion On Project and Investment Opportunities In Rajasthan", held at the Taj Rambagh here, also attended by the Chief Minister of the biggest state in India, Vasundhara Raje Scindia. Najib's delegation at the event included Works Minister Fadillah Yusof, Health Minister Dr S. Subramaniam, International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed, Special Envoy to India and South Asia on Infrastructure, S. Samy Vellu and Malaysia's High Commissioner to India, Hidayat Abdul Hamid. Najib also cited several Malaysian companies that had successfully completed projects in India, among them UEM Builders Bhd, which completed highways in more than 10 states in India connecting 700km of roads and integrating toll plaza booths, flyovers, bridges and underpasses. IJM Corporation Bhd's projects included the Tada Nellore road project; Raintree Park, an integrated township in Hyderabad built on an 8.3 million sq ft of land; Prestige Shantiniketan, a mixed development in Bangalore sprawled over a 6.5 million sq ft area; and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Civic Centre, the tallest building in the national capital. Besides that, Scomi Group had built the US$607 million Mumbai Monorail spanning nearly 20km, he added. The Prime Minister, who is on a six-day official visit to India, said CIDB Malaysia had already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Public Works Department of Rajasthan in 2015 to facilitate the participation of Malaysian companies in state road projects. Najib also told state leaders and business community here that companies which participated in any development projects in India had the full support of the Malaysian Government. In fact, he said the government had appointed Zohari Akob, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Works, to be the Nodal officer to facilitate all matters relating to Malaysian participation in India's development projects. "I would like to reassure you that as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, I will be fully update on all developments, and throughout the project implementation," he added. With the depth of experience that Malaysian construction players have especially in India, Najib said he was confident that they were more than able to match and deliver the infrastructure that Rajasthan needs. He said Malaysia was looking forward to tap into the vast opportunities available in the state, which included tourism, infrastructure, urban transportation, industrialisation, solar power, healthcare and education, among many others. "These will require world-class infrastructure to be built to accommodate the ever-growing flow of tourists, and for the people of Rajasthan to move about more easily, for work, for business, and for social reasons," said Najib. He also announced that CIDB will be signing six MoUs with various strategic organisations in New Delhi tomorrow, focusing on different areas of construction including rail, water treatment, riverfront development, highways, smart cities, tunnels and urban transportation. -- BERNAMA