High Court stays work order, directs civic body to file reply on Jan 16

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 10

The Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday put a stay on the work order of the unipoles advertisement tender issued by the Municipal Corporation (MC), Bathinda.

While hearing a plea filed by M/s United Enterprises, the court said till the next hearing, the work order would not be implemented. The proceedings have also been adjourned to the next hearing on Janaury 16.

Advocate Jatinder Nagpal, counsel for the M/s United Enterprises, said the court had put a stay on the work order of unipoles advertisement and directed the MC to file a reply on the next hearing.

Earlier, the company had served a legal notice on the MC over the selling of advertisement space on unipoles through an open auction on December 16, last year, and had given five days to the MC to reply. After the corporation failed to reply, the company filed a case in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

On December 16, the corporation conducted an open auction for outdoor media sites after its e-tendering scheme failed thrice.

Contractors were not ready to bid on the reserve price kept by the civic body. After seeing the loss, officials of the corporation told the contractors to bid less than the reserve price.

Thereafter, one of the contractors raised an objection and said it was against the norms. The officials rejected the claim and conducted the auction.

After getting approval from the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC), officials of the MC released the work order to the contractor.

An official of the civic body said, “I don’t have any information regarding any stay. I am aware of the complaint lodged by the company and we have to file a reply in the court on January 16.”