Summary:
By Express News ServiceCHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (Aavin) not to finalise a tender to hire 312 milk tankers on a contract basis for three years at a cost of Rs 360 crore, till further orders. Justice M Dhandapani passed the interim order on a plea by S N Rajkumar of a milk tanker contracting firm seeking to quash the tender stating it was illegal. Petitioner said that initially a tender was called for hiring 312 tankers for transporting milk from and to the dairies maintained by the Federation for two years. However, even before the submission of bids, a corrigendum was issued by changing the period of the tender from two years to three years and increasing the cost from Rs 240 crore to Rs 360 crore. When the cost is Rs 360 crore, the federation is mandated to constitute an external committee to float the tender, but no such panel was formed, he said..