Sakalai Lift Irrigation Tender, Ahilyanagar (₹967.07 Cr)

The Sakalai Lift Irrigation Scheme at Chikhali in Shrigonda taluka is out to tender at ₹967.07 crore, the largest single irrigation package Maharashtra has floated this month, and bids close on 1 September 2026.

A lift scheme for the Shrigonda side of Ahilyanagar

The tender is issued by the Water Resources Department, Pune, through Kukadi Irrigation Division No.2 at Shrigonda, under the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation, with the Executive Engineer of that division as the inviting authority. The reference is Tender Notice No.03 for 2026-27 and the work is the Sakalai Lift Irrigation Scheme at Chikhali in Shrigonda taluka, Ahilyanagar district.

At ₹967.07 crore this is a full scheme rather than a component, which in lift irrigation usually means intake works, pump houses, rising mains, delivery chambers and a distribution network built as one contract. The commercial shape is a percentage rate contract in two covers with 120-day bid validity, payment mode online, and withdrawal is allowed.

EMD is ₹4,83,54,000, which is half a per cent of the estimate, and the tender fee is ₹11,800. Bids opened for submission on 17 August 2026, close on 1 September 2026 and are opened at Shrigonda on 2 September.

Two weeks to price a nine-figure job

The short window matters more here than the size. Fifteen days between opening and close on a scheme of this value rewards contractors who already know the Kukadi command area and have the pipe and pump vendors lined up, because the pricing risk sits in the mechanical package and the rising main alignment rather than in the civil rates.

The bidder history on this division is worth reading before you decide. Past tenders here have drawn a wide field of Maharashtra contractors with no single dominant winner, which suggests genuine competition rather than a closed set, and it means a well-organised regional firm has a real chance against larger names.

Plant a lift scheme calls for

Lift irrigation work spreads across long distances, so machine deployment matters more than machine size. Excavators and backhoe loaders open the rising main trench and the distribution network, tippers move the spoil, and compactors close the trench behind the pipe crew. On rocky stretches around Shrigonda, breakers on excavators do more work than the buckets.

The fixed structures need their own set. Pump houses, intake works and delivery chambers call for a batching plant with transit mixers and pumps, and cranes for the pump sets, valves and the heavier pipe sections. Motor graders and rollers come in for the approach roads that have to be built before any of the plant reaches site.

Key facts

How to apply

1. Open the official portal: Maharashtra e-Tendering Portal (mahatenders.gov.in).
2. Search by tender ID 2026_CWRDP_1328598_1 (reference no. Tender Notice No.03 for 2026-27) under Kukadi Irrigation Division No.2, Shrigonda.
3. Register on the portal and keep a valid Class III digital signature certificate ready.
4. Download the NIT, tender paper, self evaluation sheet and BOQ, and check eligibility, the ₹4,83,54,000 EMD and the ₹11,800 fee.
5. Submit your bid online before 1 September 2026. Bids are opened at Shrigonda on 2 September 2026.

More on DesiMachines

For a sense of what else is open in the state, the Vangaon EMU depot tender at ₹371.50 crore covers earthwork, bridges and retaining structures near Palghar and closes 21 September. On the water side, the Kaneval to Dholera raw water pipeline tender is the nearest comparison for long rising main work, and the Hajipur sewerage and STP tender shows how similar pipeline packages are being priced elsewhere.

Browse more live tenders in Maharashtra or see all live tenders. On the machine side, compare excavators, backhoe loaders, cranes and compactors, or look at equipment finance.

FAQ

Tender details are summarised for convenience and may change. Always verify the latest dates, terms and documents on the official tendering portal before bidding. DesiMachines is not responsible for changes made by the issuing authority.