LALITPUR: The call for the expression of interest (EoI) for the much-anticipated construction of the garbage plant for the Kathmandu Valley has been put off owing to a legal dispute.

The dispute ensued over the question of eligible parties to call the EoI and evaluate it.

A meeting convened today by the High Level Empowered Garbage Management Commission (HLEGMC) decided to solve the legal dispute before it could invite private parties for setting up the proposed refuse-derived fuel plant.

The tenure of the Commission, whose purpose was to sign an agreement with the private sector, expires in two months. The pending legal dispute that ensued, meanwhile, has left the much-anticipated garbage fuel plant in a sticky situation.

A considerable time had already been wasted by the Commission, which had not been able to publish the call for EoI. The 7-member Commission comprising members from different sectors and ministries was formed by the government to expedite the process of signing a deal with private parties for setting up the plant, said Dr Sumitra Amatya, General Manager, Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre, Ministry of Local Development.

The HLEGMC, which comprises of the representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Environment, Physical Planning and Works, MoLD, SWMRMC and Kathmandu Metropolitan City, is headed by Dr Dinesh Chandra Devkota, member, National Planning.

Some two dozen private firms and companies are vying for the establishment of the proposed garbage-fuelled plant in the Valley, which when materialised is expected to generate 4MW of electricity, gas and compost fertiliser.

The Kathmandu Valley produces 600 metric tons of waste on a daily basis from its five municipalities and Village Development Committees.

“The tenure of the commission will be extended if required,” assured Amatya.