Chinese firms’ bids to install pollution equipment cancelled

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20

In the wake of the recent violent face-off between India and China, the Haryana Government has cancelled international competitive bids for the installation of pollution control system at two of its power plants in which the Chinese companies were the lowest bidders.

Though the Chinese had quoted the most-competitive rates and would have bagged the tenders yet in view of tense relations between India and China, the state government has decided to cancel the tender. Now, fresh tenders on the pattern adopted by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) which allowed firms registered in India only to bid for domestic projects would be invited. TC Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Department, confirmed that the bid has been cancelled. “We will float the tenders again and only companies registered in India will be allowed to participate,” Gupta added.

The Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) had invited international competitive bids to install “flue gas desulphurization system”, an advanced system to control pollution at the Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Station, Yamunanagar, and the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant, Hisar. The state government received five bids for the Yamunanagar plant of which three were from the Chinese firms while two were India firms — the EPIL (in collaboration with a Chinese firm), and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (in collaboration with a non-Chinese foreign firm). For the Hisar plant, two Chinese firms and the BHEL (in collaboration with a non-Chinese foreign firm) had submitted the bid.