Mumbai: Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro, top conglomerate Tatas and Anil Ambani Group company Reliance Energy are among bidders shorlisted for upgradation of the Amritsar and Udaipur airports.

Other bidders in the list include Fraport and Lanco for Amritsar airport, and GMR and Maytas Infra for Udaipur airport.

The Airports Authority of India has shortlisted five bidders in all for the two airports,  financial bids for which will be invited by the month-end.

AAI will invite the request for proposals by the month-end and the selection will be completed possibly by the middle of June.

The government had earlier decided to do away with the compulsory approval clause for all new projects that come up beyond a 150-km radius of existing ventures.

''A steering committee would be set up under the chairmanship of secretary, civil aviation, to coordinate and monitor clearances required from various agencies for setting up an airport,'' an official statement said last week.

''In the case of an application by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) or other airport company to set up an airport within 150 km of an existing airport, the application shall be considered by the steering committee,'' the statement added.

In cases where the committee is unable to reach a decision, the matter would be taken up by the cabinet and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will be designated as the competent authority to grant licences.

The policy, however, requires promoters of airports to get approval from all the government agencies that take care of aspects such as air traffic management, security, customs and immigration.

''These agencies would notify their respective guidelines,'' the statement said, adding promoters would have to enter into a pact with them regarding the rights and obligations of each party.

The new airports policy was necessitated by the recent strikes by the employees of the existing airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad. They protested the closure of the two airports to make way for the two greenfield projects nearby.

Officials said the new policy makes room for interested parties, including the state governments, to make recommendations in case some new airport projects within 150 km of existing ones are awaiting approvals.