Even as land prices in the city are shooting through the roof, the CMDA is in mop-up mode again, putting a prime property at 1, Beleghata Road, opposite Sealdah station, under the hammer for a retail address.

A tender was floated for the 51-cottah leasehold land housing 90,000 sq ft of commercial space in the CMDA building. Merlin Group, AKS Group, Bengal Shrachi and a consortium of Keventer Agro, Pantaloon Retail and Happy Group were in the fray.

It is learnt that the bids were opened last week and the combine led by Keventer Agro has quoted the highest price of Rs 34.50 crore, followed by AKS (Rs 22 crore) and Merlin (Rs 16 crore). Shrachi was “disqualified on technical grounds”.

“Yes, we have opened the bids, but the winner will be announced only after the Pujas,” CMDA CEO P.R. Baviskar told Metro. All the proposals will now be assessed by the special board and a final decision “taken by the authority” (read CMDA chairman and urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya), he added.