Modi govt grants contract worth Rs 1,126 crore to a Chinese firm even as India faces aggression in Ladakh  

At a time when India is facing Chinese aggression along the LAC in Ladakh, reportedly losing 60 sq km of its land to China, the Narendra Modi-led government on June 12 granted a contract worth Rs 1,126 crore to a Chinese multinational construction company – Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. Ltd. (STEC).

According to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) – a joint company of Governments of India, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, mandated for implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System – the STEC has emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of the 5.6 km underground stretch between New Ashok Nagar–Sahibabad of the Delhi–Meerut RRTS project.

Bidding for Rs. 30,274 crore Delhi–Meerut RRTS project was opened in March 2020 wherein, as per the NCRTC, five companies were found to be “technically compliant”. List of the companies and their bid can be read here:

Expected to be completed by 2025, Delhi–Meerut RRTS project is an 82.15 km long, under-construction, semi-high speed rail corridor, connecting Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut.

As per NCRTC, it is one of the three rapid-rail corridors planned under the Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) project. With a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99.42 mph), the distance between Delhi and Meerut will be covered in around 62 minutes.

Meanwhile, sources claimed that two military-to-military meetings on the ground are expected in Ladakh this week, and a diplomatic meeting between Indian joint-secretary and Chinese director-general level is likely to take place in China to try and deescalate the tension at the border.

However, experts believe that the Modi government is trying to reduce the Chinese aggression as a “dispute”.

Analyst Brahma Chellaney posted on Twitter: “It has been 1½ months since China encroached on key Ladakh areas. For the Indian government, which was caught napping, saving face at home has become a priority. Here is one example of how facts continue to be obfuscated: The defense minister labels China's aggression as a “dispute.”

A day after NH broke the story, RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has demanded the Narendra Modi government to cancel the bid.

SJM national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan has petitioned the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to scrap the bid of the Chinese company. Sources say the SJM wants the ministry to encourage domestic players in critical projects, reported India Today.