Bhubaneswar: The Central-sector aluminium behemoth Nalco has gone to the Supreme Court challenging the Odisha High Court order that has allowed that the rival aluminium company Vedanta Aluminium Ltd. to participate in the company’s alumina slae tender process.
Nalco has filed a special leave petition(SLP) in the apex court stating that as per company’s export tender policy only overseas companies can participate in the alumina exauction. Therefore, it pointed out, Vedanta can not be registered to participate in the tender process. It was in 2005, after considering all aspects of the situation Nalco had decided to sale aluminium to overseas companies.
It was on February 1,2019, Nalco had come out with a tender to sale 30,000 tonnes of metallurgical grade calcined alumina with condition that only overseas companies having international trading experience can participate in the tender. Challenging this condition, Vednata had gone to the Odisha High Court. A bench comprising of chief justice KS Javeri and justice KR Mohapatra passed an oder on March 26 allowing Vednata to participate in the tender process.
India Whispers, in fact, had stated well in advance that the public sector aluminium company would challenge the High Court order to prevent Vedanta to participate in the tender process. The Nalco had meanwhile postponed its tender process for 30,000 tonnes of alumina thrice in the last two months possible to keep Vedanta out of the auction slaes. The Nalco’s postponement of tender, in fact, gave a clue to India Whispers that the company is preparing to file SLP against the HC order in the apex court.
