No takers for govt-owned vaccine manufacturing plant in time of Covid-19

Bidding deadline extended for eighth time since January

A government-owned vaccine manufacturing plant in Chennai has found no takers even as several states have been complaining about a severe shortage of doses.

HLL Biotech, which owns the facility, was forced to extend the deadline to submit a bid for the integrated vaccine manufacturing (IVC) facility for the eighth time this week as the company didn’t get any response from private players after publishing an expression of interest way back in January.

HBL is a subsidiary of HLL Lifecare Limited, the government owned PSU which has been responsible for procuring medical equipment during the pandemic.

Executives of vaccine manufacturers