Le contrat entre Metro Express et Larsen & Toubro ne peut être rendu public

Le contrat signé entre la firme indienne Larsen & Toubro et la Metro Express Company Ltd contiendrait des informations confidentielles et ne peut être rendu public. Ces informations ne peuvent être partagées avec une tierce personne selon la compagnie indienne. 

C'est ce que fait ressortir un communiqué émis par le bureau du Premier ministre ce dimanche 12 novembre. 

Ce document fait aussi état que tout en respectant la confidentialité commerciale, le gouvernement a donné des détails sur le projet au Parlement et précise avoir répondu à toutes les questions des parties concernées et qu'il continuera à le faire. Ci-dessous le communiqué du PMO dans son intégralité:

Press Statement

Metro Express D & C contract with L&T

It would be recalled that on 14 November 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius on the implementation of projects under Government of India grant assistance of US$ 353 million was signed. The projects being funded under the MoU include the Metro Express project, a new Supreme Court building, Social Housing project, supply of Digital Tablets to primary school children and an ENT Hospital.

Both sides had reiterated their determination to ensure speedy implementation of these projects, including the flagship Metro Express project, which will significantly transform the way Mauritius will commute in the future and usher in a new era of progress and prosperity for the country. On 31 July 2017, the Indian conglomerate Larsen & Toubro was awarded the MUR 18.8 billion 'Design & Construct' contract by Metro Express Limited, an SPV under the Government of Mauritius, for an Integrated Light Rail-based Urban Transit System that will operate along the Port Louis-Curepipe corridor. The project is being funded through a Government of India Grant of USD 275 million, and an EXIM Bank Line of Credit.

Following requests to place the above contract in the public domain, Larsen & Toubro has opined that it is a commercial contract with sensitive information and details of the urban transit system. The contract also contains know-how and intellectual property, inter alia in the form of design plans, which cannot be shared with third parties. Further, the contract needs to be understood in its holistic perspective, since it is a complex project incorporating integrated domains such as rail specific civil/track work, rail electrification, control & monitoring systems, rolling stock, depot and operational control centre, and bridges, amongst others. As per the MoU between the two Governments, the procurement exercise of the project has been carried out by the Metro Express Limited in accordance with the requisite laws and procedures of Mauritius, duly factoring in various considerations such as cost, quality, safety, timely implementation, transparency and international best practices. Accordingly, Government of India has already released an amount of 25% of the agreed Grant element, or USD 68.75 million, for the project.

Whilst respecting the commercial confidentiality and professional sanctity of the process, the Government of Mauritius has kept the Mauritian Parliament duly informed of the project details and answered queries voiced by the concerned stakeholders in public fora, and shall continue to do in future.