IRB Infrastructure has decided not to participate in the bidding process for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project, a sea-link from the city to Navi Mumbai. The company had been shortlisted for the Rs 9,630-crore (US$1.5 billion) project but it informed the lack of support from Maharashtra state's co-ordinating agencies and the shattered confidence in urban infra projects in the state, led them to abandon the bidding process.

IRB said in a letter to the Mumbai Metropolitan Commissioner, informing about its decision to quit the project:

"The experience we have had in one of the urban infrastructure projects in Kolhapur has shattered our confidence to invest in urban infrastructure projects especially in the state of Maharashtra,"

Virendra Mhaiskar, Chairman and Managing Director of IRB, said:

"We have decided not to bid for the project. This decision has been taken mainly owing to the bitter experience we had in one of our toll BOT (build-operate-transfer) projects in Kolhapur where we did not receive the expected support from the government. However, if the situation changes in the near future and the state shows some political will to support urban infrastructure development on the PPP model, IRB would definitely rethink on bidding for the project.

• CINTRA - SOMA - SREI;
• Gammon Infrastructure - OHL Concessions -G S Engineering;
• GMR Infrastructure- Larsen & Toubro Ltd - Samsung C&T Corp;
• Tata Realty and Infrastructure-Autostrade Indian Infrastructure Development - Vinci Concessions Development