Ambulance command centre: HC to monitor Rs 1,800-cr tender

The Karnataka High Court said that it will monitor the tender process proposed by the state government to set up a command control room for ambulance services.

The state government submitted to the court that Rs 1,800-crore project will shortly be placed before the Cabinet and requested five months time to complete the tender process.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka was hearing the PIL filed by Bharat Punarutthana Trust. The petition contended that the ambulances carrying the patients who need urgent treatment get stuck in traffic congestion, especially in Bengaluru city.

The petition claimed that in a large number of cases there is loss of golden hour because of the delay in taking the patients to the hospitals. Since the tender process initiated by the state government was taking a lot of time, the petitioner had requested the court to direct the state government to invoke the provisions under Section 4 of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act 1999 (KTPP Act) to grant exemption of calling the tender.

The state government informed the court that it had made an attempt to invite tender to set up the command centre in 2017 itself. However, the tender could not be finalised due to
technical reasons.

In a memorandum filed before the court, the state submitted that a technical committee was set up to incorporate the latest information technology services. “The cost of tender itself is Rs 1,800 crore, hence the question of invoking the urgency clause or seeking exemption for calling the tender would not arise. The state government may not get proper agency for providing the required services if the urgency clause is invoked and a particular agency is identified,” the state submitted.

The bench said that it cannot compel the state to invoke exemption clause. “It is true that what the state wants to achieve must be achieved immediately as the issue concerns the health of people who are suffering from serious ailments. In the facts of the case, we cannot compel the government to exercise power under Section 4 of the said act of 1999 (KTPP Act). However, this court will have to monitor the process so that it is not delayed. We therefore direct the state to file a written submission/affidavit by September 30, 2020 setting out the progress made in the tender process,” the bench said.