HC lists hearing in ambulance tender case for June 24

Two bidders have challenged their disqualification of bid in a ₹1,600-crore contract to operate a fleet of 2,125 ambulances of the national Dial 102 emergency services across Bihar.

The Patna high court, on the request of Bihar’s advocate general (AG), Tuesday listed for June 24 the hearing in a case in which two bidders have challenged their disqualification of bid in a ₹1,600-crore contract to operate a fleet of 2,125 ambulances of the national Dial 102 emergency services across Bihar.

The Patna high court. (HT Photo)

A division bench of justices PB Bajanthri and Arun Kumar Jha agreed to the request of PK Shahi, Bihar’s AG, seeking time for personal reasons, and listed the matter for hearing on Saturday, said Nirbhay Prashant, an advocate for the petitioners BVG India Ltd., Mumbai, and Patna’s Sammaan Foundation, which have teamed up as a consortium for the bid.

Shahi was earlier the counsel for Pashupatinath Distributors Pvt Ltd (PDPL), the lowest bidder, which was awarded the work and is one of the respondents in the case. He began representing the State Health Society Bihar (SHSB) in March, after becoming the AG.

Meanwhile, Justice Bajanthri refused to entertain the plea to club the writ petition of Ziqitza Health Care Ltd., Mumbai, one of the six respondents in the case and the second lowest bidder, saying the matter would be heard separately.

Ziqitza has filed a separate writ application, challenging the selection of PDPL as the lowest bidder. The Mumbai-based firm has challenged the experience and financials of PDPL, saying the firm independently did not meet the norms stipulated in the tender.

“We have also challenged the SHSB decision to grant letter of intent (LoI) to carry out ambulance service to the PDPL when the court had allowed it to do so purely as a temporary measure,” said Abhinav Srivastava,” counsel for Ziquitza.

The footnote in the LoI, however, mentions that the grant of permission was subject to the outcome of the writ petition in the case, according to a lawyer associated with the case.