In a startling development, former top scientist and Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat have said that the tender for the government’s strategic ₹1,072 crore Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands (KLI) optic fibre project, has been “deliberately designed to bar Indian companies from participating”, reports Times of India
According to the former head of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), this decision could compromise the security, cost-effectiveness, and reliability of the project.
Dr Saraswat has expressed strong reservations over the tender which is now being challenged in Delhi High Court by lobby group Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA) — through a communication sent to the telecom ministry in April, top sources told TOI.
According to Saraswat, ‘BSNL should put tender on hold till changes are made’ because India is trying to build its capabilities in the telecommunications sector, there are no provisions in the Detailed Note for Inviting Tenders (DNIT) to facilitate/ support the development of indigenous capabilities. It appears that the eligibility criteria mentioned in the DNIT are deliberately designed to bar Indian companies from participating in the said project,” Saraswat said in a letter, which has been reviewed by TOI.
“Since connectivity between the mainland and the Lakshwadeep Islands is a matter of strategic and national importance, we need to ensure that the network being developed… is robust, reliable, secure, indigenous, and cost-effective… I am of the opinion that BSNL should put this tender on hold till the necessary changes are made to promote participation by Indian companies,” Saraswat said.
The strategic ₹1,072 crore KLI project announced by the Modi government aims to lay submarine cables between Kochi and 11 islands of Lakshadweep islands. The Prime Minister made this announcement on August 15, 2020, and once this project is completed, it will provide a bandwidth of 100 GBPS in the areas, improving mobile services, and boosting e-governance and e-commerce initiatives.
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