Vaccines: BMC cancels 9 global tenders, but will get Sputnik soon

Mumbai: The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has cancelled all 9 global bids it received for supply of Covid-19 vaccines, but Mumbaikars may soon get the Sputnik V jabs, top officials said here on Friday.

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that in early May, in view of the shortages of the life-saving doses, the BMC had floated global tenders for supply of around one crore vaccines which would be administered free to Mumbaikars, and the tender deadlines were extended twice.

"However, as the final deadline ended, we received 9 bids. We have rejected all the 9 bids as they failed to comply with the important terms and conditions, mainly pertaining to the kind of tie-ups they would have with the vaccine manufacturers, the quantity, rates and the time period within which they could assure the supply as per our requirements," she said.

Accordingly, the BMC has now cancelled all the tenders and Pednekar reiterated that it is the Centre's responsibility to supply the vaccines for the people.

However, against this, BMC Municipal Commissioner I. S. Chahal made a heartening announcement that the civic body was in talk with Dr Reddy's Laboratories for supplying the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines.

"The talks have been successful and Dr Reddy's Laboratories have agreed to provide us with some stocks of Sputnik V vaccine by June end, and later in July-August, it may be augmented," he said.

A week after the BMC, the Maharashtra government had also floated global bids for buying five crore vaccines for administering to the people in the state free of cost.

Till date, the state has given 2,32,92,259 jabs comprising first and second doses, to various permitted categories of citizens across various age groups, frontline workers and others, the highest in India.