PIDB set to invite fresh bids for Urban Estate convention centre

Amritsar, May 5

The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) is all set to re-invite bids for raising a convention centre in the PPP (public-private partnership) mode inside Sri Guru Ramdas Urban Estate on the airport road. It has to resort to re-bidding as only one bidder had taken part in the previous bid. As per rules, no bidding process can be executed unless there are at least three bidders.

The Urban Estate, spread over 109.46 acres, has 499 plots on 31.07 acres for residential purposes, a convention centre over 8.26 acres and 4.25 acres to be exploited for commercial purposes. The remaining land will be utilised for Open To Sky (OTS) purposes like roads and parks.

Naresh Johar, a local resident, said the project has been hanging fire for over a decade and to fathom its reasons, he filed an RTI application. He came to know that no site was earmarked for the Trade and Exhibition Centre inside Sri Guru Ramdas Urban Estate.

Rajat Oberoi, Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, said a state-of-the-art building would be raised. He said a Trade and Exhibition Centre on the lines of Pragati Maidan was not in plan, instead a convention centre had been thought of.

The convention centre would be built over 8.26 acres and the land has been earmarked in the front portion of the Urban Estate. Local industrialists have been seeking a permanent venue to showcase indigenously made items to visiting national and international delegates.