KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority today scrapped the Nepal Oil Corporation bid to procure around 70 ropanis of land for its depot in Thankot.

"Since our investigation found the NOC plan to procure the land faulty, we have scrapped it. The bid fails to fulfill the procedure required by Public Procurement Act and Land Acquisition Act," CIAA Acting Chief Commissioner Lalit Bahadur Limbu told this daily.

The oil monopoly was trying to expand its depot in Thankot. The corruption watchdog discovered that NOC, with the involvement of a VDC secretary, had agreed to pay Rs 5 million per ropani of land, which actually costs only Rs 1.5 million per unit.

"We found that the NOC did not follow the valid process as well," Limbu added.

The CIAA maintained that the authority of acquiring land for NOC is vested in the cabinet while in urgency, it has to follow the procedure as provisioned by Section 27 of Land Acquisition Act-1976 and Public Procurement Act by acquiring a cabinet approval.