‘Substandard’: LHC stays tender opening for transformer supply

Hearing is adjourned for two weeks.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday restrained the Lahore Electric Supply Company from opening tenders for the supply of transformers, and sought replies from the National Transmission and Dispatch Company Limited and the Pakistan Electric Power Company on a petition challenging the contract of transformers that the Lesco was allegedly awarding to ‘substandard manufacturers’.

Pak Elektron Limited and others have filed the petition. The petitioners said that the Lesco had issued show cause notices to several companies for supplying substandard transformers.

They said that the Federal Investigation Agency was also holding an inquiry into the supply of substandard transformers. They said that the Lesco had banned several such companies from participating in bids for the supply of transformers.

However, they said, some of the banned companies were again participating in the bidding.

The respondent companies submitted that they were participating in the bidding following directions of a court.

Counsel for the Pepco stated that apparently the Wapda, the NTDC and the Lesco had made a deal regarding the award of the contract for supply of transformers.

The court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2013.