SIRAHA, JANUARY 7

Irregularities have been reported in the construction of houses for Dalits and impoverished people under the People’s Residence Programme in Siraha.

Urban Development and Building Construction Division Office, Rajbiraj, has started construction of 400 houses in Siraha under the provincial government’s Physical Infrastructure Development Ministry.

According to sources, UD- BCDO Rajbiraj staff colluded to award the construction of houses to a contractor by forming a consumers’ committee with the intention of evading tax.

Officials at the urban development office said, “We won’t be able to complete the work in time, so we entrusted the contractor with the house construction.”

Lately, there have been complaints even from the consumers’ committee members regarding the sub-standard work. They attributed the sub-standard work to the collusion between the contractor and staffers of the urban development office. Site Engineer Shreedev Sah admitted that sub-standard bricks had been used in some houses.

He, however, promised that good quality bricks would be used for house construction now onwards.

The Urban Development Office had allocated Rs 332,500 for construction of a two-room house and toilet.

Eight houses and toilets are being built for eight families in Golbazar Municipality.