HC allows Vedanta to take part in NALCO's tender for alumina

The Orissa High Court Tuesday allowed Vedanta Limited to participate in the tender floated by the National Aluminum Company Ltd (NALCO) for the sale of its 30,000 MT metallurgical grade calcined alumina.

Allowing Vedanta's prayer for only to take part in the tender, a division bench headed by Chief Justice K S Jhaveri observed that since the petitioner did not press for other prayers in the writ petition, it has not been taken for adjudication.

Central public sector enterprise NALCO is a leading producer of low-cost metallurgical grade alumina in the world. The alumina produced is used to meet NALCO's requirements for production of primary aluminium at smelter and the surplus alumina is sold to third parties in the export market.

But NALCO had repeatedly disallowed Vedanta to participate in its tender for the sale of alumina on the ground that Vedanta Limited was established under the SEZ (Special Economic Zone) statute and if Vedanta was interested in the tender, it could do so only through its sister concern based in London.

Vedanta challenged this condition of NALCO in the high court and after hearing both the parties, the bench ordered that the petitioner be considered eligible to participate with all prevailing conditions of the tender floated by NALCO.