Thiruvananthapuram: Despite the Centre extending a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of Rs 790 crore to the Rs 4,089-crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport project, no firm turned up for finalising tender on Friday.

Following this, the opening of the tender for fixing the private partner for the Public Private Partnership (PPP) project was extended for another month.

Even the three companies that purchased the Request for Proposal (RFP) documents- Adani, Essar and a consortium consisting of SREI and Spanish firm OHL-have not submitted tender documents as the deadline ended at 11 a.m.

The uncertainty over the fate of the case in Supreme Court on March 18 is believed to be the reason for companies keeping away. The other two companies shortlisted for the project - Gammon Infrastructure Projects and Hyundai-Concast, had not even purchased the RFP documents.

Though the bid was invited thrice in the past it had to be cancelled for various reasons. The time limit for opening the fourth bid postponed twelve times following the cases pending in the Chennai and Delhi benches of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

It was after the Supreme Court (SC) staying the verdict of the NGT bench in Delhi the government fixed the deadline for opening the price bid. The Government was contemplating to commence the works as soon as the SC pronounces its verdict after the final hearing on March 18