Kathmandu, August 29 :

The $500-million Melamchi project, launched with the objective of bringing 170 million litres of water per day to the capital from Melamchi, is mired in irregularities, states a report presented by the Melamchi Water Supply Development Employees’ Union (MWSDEU).

The government-run drinking water project should be restructured to end irregularities and discrimination against staffers, the report states.

“We want the entire project restructured. The project has become an infamous example of misappropriation of budget,” Khibaraj Sharma, the MWSDEU chairman, told this daily today.

We are holding meetings with the project management on different issues, which we had raised some days ago, Sharma said.

“While a select few officials draw unimaginably high salaries, others are discriminated against in pay scale and their jobs are not guaranteed,” Sharma further said.

According to a document, each of over 24 consultants draws over Rs 100,000 as monthly salary. Numerous experts are being hired for no reason. Millions of rupees were paid to contractors time and again in the name of bill claim and variation, the report states.

“Dozens of expensive vehicles of the project and fuel are being misused,” states the report.