Bajura, March 6

An audiotape in which Bajura’s Himali Rural Municipality Chairman Govind Bahadur Malla is heard negotiating kickback with Bajura Construction Entrepreneurs’ Union Chairman Binod Shahi has surfaced of late.

In the audiotape, Malla is heard negotiating kickback to provide a contract worth Rs 16.9 million for construction of Saileswori Technical School to his son at Faiti of the RM.

The rural municipality had issued a 30-day tender notice calling for the contract on February 4. A total of 69 construction firms had applied for the tender. The rural municipality chair, however, had registered only four firms to award the contract to his son in collusion with other construction entrepreneurs. He is learnt to have given money to some construction firms to withdraw their tender application.

Rural municipality Chair Malla had summoned construction entrepreneurs to his office and distributed money there. In the audiotape, Malla is heard saying that he had talked with entrepreneurs as his son had shown interest for the tender. In response to Shahi’s question, Malla is heard saying that he could distribute five to seven per cent of the total budget among construction entrepreneurs.

Malla refuted the allegation and said it was premeditated plot to frame him. He said his son did not have any construction firm. Malla was accused of awarding contracts to construction entrepreneurs close to him in the past.