Interim stay on tender for procuring microchips for stray dogs

CHENNAI: The High Court has issued an interim stay on the tender floated for the purchase of microchips for stray dogs.

As per the Supreme Court’s directive, sterilisation of stray dogs and installation of microchips on them is being carried out across the country. Accordingly, the State government has been taking steps to sterilise stray dogs in all districts and implant microchips in them.

For this purpose, the Tamil Nadu Livestock Development Corporation had planned to procure 2.40 lakh microchips. A tender for this was floated from September, and a private company named Exhilar Innovative Solutions was initially selected.

However, the tender was suddenly cancelled, and a re-tender was conducted on November 26, following which another private company was declared selected. Challenging this, Exhilar filed a petition in the HC in which it stated that although it had been selected to supply microchips for sterilised stray dogs across TN, authorities had abruptly cancelled the tender and illegally awarded it to another firm that had already been disqualified earlier.

Therefore, the petitioner sought that the tender process be stayed and cancelled.

Hearing the case, Justice N Sathish Kumar observed that several discrepancies and violations had occurred in the tender for purchasing microchips for stray dogs, and imposed an interim stay on the tender.

The judge also directed the State government to file a counter affidavit and adjourned the hearing to December 18.