In what may spell more trouble for the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), the implementing agency for the multi-crore High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) project, one of the four bidders for the previous tender, Celex Technologies Private Limited, has filed a writ petition in the AP High Court challenging the calling of fresh tenders for the project. The writ petition is scheduled to come up for hearing on May 2, 2012.
Celex Technologies filed a writ petition (No. 13288 of 2012) on Monday requesting the High Court to declare the request for fresh tenders issued on April 25 as arbitrary. The petitioner said that with two companies disqualified on grounds of suspected irregularities, and the third company having submitted self-certified documents during the previous tender process, Celex Technologies remains the only qualified bidder and that the corporation should go ahead with the process.
Celex’s petition said that APSRTC, without even analysing the financial bid of Celex, on the simple ground that it was directed by the government of Andhra Pradesh to do so, cancelled the tender notification. “Though the petitioner was the sole successful bidder, no notice was given to him prior to cancellation of the said process. It normally would have ended with the awarding of the said tender in favour of the petitioner,” read the petition.
Celex’s counsel pointed out in the petition that the reading of the tender notification clearly reflects the fact that the whole tendering process was initiated by APSRTC based on the directions of the Supreme Court. “However, the reading of the impugned notification reflects the unilateral decision of cancellation by the Respondent No.2 (APSRTC) on the directives of the Respondent No.1 (Government of Andhra Pradesh) without reference to the Supreme Court of India and as such the said decision is illegal and contrary to the directions of the apex court,” the petition read.
The APSRTC is already running late by almost a month in the implementation of the project in the state. The corporation has called for new tenders after the second tender process was cancelled due to the exposure of irregularities. The new tender process will be complete by the end of May.