Kathmandu, October 8

The Supreme Court today stayed the process of handing over the contract of the 76-kilometre Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track project to an Indian consortium.

A single bench of Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha stayed the contract handover process till October 28. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for October 28 when the court will hear arguments from both sides, said Supreme Court Assistant Spokesperson Bishwa Raj Paudel.

Advocates Bhairaja Rai and Purna Bahadur Kunwar had filed a writ petition yesterday asking the court to stop the government’s preparation to award the road project to the consortium, comprising Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) Transportation Networks, IL&FS Engineering and Construction, and Suryavir Infrastructure Construction.

The consortium had agreed to build the fast track project at a cost of $1,297 million. This includes cost of $1,117 million (including VAT) for construction purpose and $180 million for non-construction purpose.