Kochi Corporation withdraws bid from labour cooperative amid controversy

The Kochi Corporation has withdrawn its acceptance of a bid from Thrissur District Labour Contract Cooperative Society for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a proposed convention centre at Edappally. The cooperative had emerged as the lowest bidder in a tender floated by the civic body in August for the infrastructure project. The reversal marks a significant development following mounting criticism over the corporation's handling of unrelated real estate matters. Officials indicated that the decision to drop the bid was taken in light of the prevailing controversy, though details regarding the formal rationale remain unclear. The proposed convention centre at Edappally has been identified as a key addition to Kochi's commercial infrastructure. The tender process for the DPR preparation had attracted multiple bidders before the cooperative was selected based on cost criteria. The withdrawal is expected to necessitate a fresh evaluation of submitted proposals or a re-tendering process, potentially delaying the project timeline. The incident underscores growing scrutiny of the corporation's procurement decisions and project management practices.