Cuttack, Nov. 9: Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has cancelled the tender process for procurement of five hi-tech ambulances that it was supposed to provide to the state government for drawing water from the Mahanadi for its refinery-cum-petrochemicals project in Paradip.

Orissa High Court had asked the IOCL to provide the ambulances to the state government and bear the running and recurring costs for three years.

In an affidavit filed in the high court last week, the IOC's general manager (human resources) Washiqur Rehman Borbora said three parties - Aeon Medical Pvt Limited (Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh), Ajil Fibretech (Pimprigaon, Pune) and USG Automobiles (Kolkata) - had submitted their offers. "All the three bids have been technically evaluated by a tender committee. None of the bidders has been found to be fully meeting the prescribed specification of hi-tech ambulances," he said.

Borbora said technical specifications for the procurement would be reviewed and a new tender process would be started. The fresh tender process "would be initiated with a view to get maximum participation as well as expeditious procurement of required hi-tech ambulances," the company said.

The decision to abandon the tender process would further delay compliance of the high court order issued more than three-and-a-half years ago.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the Nationalist Lawyers' Forum alleging apathy and delay in compliance of the conditions, which the high court had laid down in its order on February 27, 2012, on a PIL filed by the forum.

On April 4, the court had directed the IOC to hasten the procurement of the ambulances with life support systems. While submitting the status of implementation of the order, the IOC had, in a report submitted on September 30, said open tenders for the procurement had already been ordered. Taking note of it, the court had on October 7 directed the IOC to go ahead with the technical evaluation and also open the commercial bids received.

Earlier, the IOC had said: "Since no specification was received from state government authorities, the specification was prepared on the basis of hi-tech ambulances procured by Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital, New Delhi."