Interim stay on street-lighting tender process

The First Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh and Justice RMT Teekaa Raman on hearing a PIL moved in this regard granted an interim stay of two weeks in the processing of tenders for the Central Government funded LED Street Light Scheme in Tamil Nadu. Social activist C. Karthikeyan of T.Nagar, a member of Federation of Anti-Corruption Team India (FACT INDIA) had contended that clause 4 of Section 3 of the General conditions/ notification of tender which sought a report on the quality of the LED bulbs from the Chennai Corporation Electrical department is illegal and will lead to a lot of irregularities. 

He submitted that the National Accreditation Board for testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) is the competent authority to testify the samples and that Chennai Corporation’s Electrical Department is neither equipped with the instruments to test nor is it authorised by NABL. 

The petitioner further submitted that another condition which sought for submission of a proof from the bidders that they have completed similar type of work for not less than 50% of the value of the bid under a single agreement for a State or Central Government Department/ Boards/ Government undertakings/ Local Bodies will pave way only for the bidders who have already participated to obtain the bid. Noting that such a condition has been stipulated to avoid other bidders from getting qualified, he said this would render most of the bidders from being unable to participate and in turn will create monopoly among a set of bidders. He sought to quash the above condition as illegal and also issue a direction to send the samples to any one of the NABL accredited Laboratory.