KATHMANDU: Following the publication of a news about the Young Communist League intervention into the bidding process, the National Alert Centre under the Government of Nepal has decided to postpone the controversial

tender called by the Office of

Urban Development and Building Construction Division, Gorkha, to construct infrastructure damaged during the

Maoist insurgency.

In a statement issued today by the Monitoring and Investigation Branch No 4 under NAC, Sher Bahadur Dhungana, secretary of the NAC, said, “We have directed the concerned office to postpone the tender.”

According to NAC, the tender process favoured the UCPN-Maoist and its well wishers.

The tender was called to reconstruct the Land Revenue Office and health posts in Gorkha, Lamjung and Tanahun districts, devastated during the 10-year Maoist insurgency.

The Western Regional Contractor Entrepreneurs’ Union had alleged that the cadres of UCPN-Maoist seized the contract amounting to more than Rs 25 crore that was made

public for development works in the district.

Office of Urban Development and Building Construction Division, Gorkha, had called for a tender worth Rs 25.60 crore

for reconstruction and health projects in the fiscal year.

The project work was divided into 20 packages.

The bids were to be opened yesterday. According to OoUDBCD, there was no competition as only one bid was registered

in each package.

The construction entrepreneurs were compelled to

withdraw the registered tenders due to the threats of the

UCPN-Maoist.

Maoist district secretary Chudamani Khadka’ Prakash’ has been accused of barring others from registering tender. The local entrepreneurs also could not register their bid after the Maoists threatened them with physical action if the entrepreneurs registered the bid.

Only the contractors affiliated to YCL or close to the Maoists got a chance to register their bids. The entrepreneurs had also claimed that four to seven per cent commission from the project would go to the party.