Delhi High Court rejects Sumitomo Chemical's plea against Delhi municipality

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which is facing difficulties in procurement of sufficient quantities of biolarvicide to combat the outbreak of dengue, got a breather from the Delhi High Court yesterday with the court's dismissal of a petition against its contract to purchase the medicines.

A Division Bench of chief justice Dipak Misra and justice Manmohan set aside Sumitomo Chemical India's plea alleging irregularities in the manner of rejection of its bid and contract award to another company.

The matter pertained to the procurement of biolarvicides by the MCD, which is coordinated through Hindustan Latex Ltd (now HLL Lifecare Ltd) - its procurement agency.

After the Bench stayed the contract execution till the final disposal of the matter, the MCD and appealed to the court for temporary relaxation of the procurement process of biolarvicide, for an interim period, in the ''interest of public health.''

The agency had claimed it held no outstanding stock of the required biolarvicide, as a result of which it found itself handicapped in taking preventive action to combat the threat of outbreak of dengue and malaria.

The MCD had to go in for another chemical larvicide, Temephos, which is not is not quite as effective as biolarvicides, against the mosquitoe larvae that breed in drains etc.