Kuala Lumpur, Oct 22: India today told the Malaysian government to clarify on reports that an ambitious railway project initially promised to the state-owned Indian Railway Construction Company had been awarded to a local joint venture.
"We have asked the government of Malaysia to clarify the issue... We have to wait for the clarification," Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri said after the Malaysian company Gamuda claimed that it and equal partner Malaysian Mining Corporation (MMC) had been awarded the contract for the project billed as the largest infrastructure project there.
The project involved laying and electrifying a 636 km of track straddling the length of the Malaysian peninsula, and is part of a trans-Asia link from Singapore to China.
The request for clarification is based on the fact that the project was the part of government to government negotiations that had been carried out over two years ago between India and Malaysia and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed endorsing the deal, sources said.
As per a statement, issued by Gamuda, the company has been awarded the entire electrified double tracking rail project which was initially promised to IRCON, the state-owned Chinese rail company CRET and their local partners. Former contenders were earlier even given letters of intent. Bureau Report