KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 17
The Delegated Management and Government Assurance Committee under the National Assembly today inquired about complaints registered against the awarding of the contract for the second phase of Tarai-Madhes Fast Track construction.
The meeting was attended by the secretary of the Ministry of Defence and representatives of Public Procurement Monitoring Office and Nepali Army. Complaints had been filed stating that there had been misappropriations in the bidding process related to pre-qualification in selecting the bids.
The meeting was called to inquire about complaints, said the committee's Chair Ram Narayan Bidari. "Bidding was announced to pre-qualify competing companies.
It appeared that 20 or 21 international companies had applied for the contract. However, only two companies were selected. The committee called the meeting to inquire about the complaint that other companies' applications for the national pride project had been rejected. The committee also inquired about the financial proposal," he said.
The committee, however, did not issue any direction in this regard.
"The committee can provide advice and direction when it finds that the process has gone against the law. We are in discussions," he said.
The Nepali Army has claimed that the pre-qualification determination process for constructing the tunnel of the project has been in line with the law. In the meeting, Colonel Sunil Singh Rathour maintained that the bidding process was transparent and in line with the Public Procurement Act.
Stating that Nepali Army has worked day and night to complete the national pride project, Defence Secretary Reshmi Raj Pandey said that the army should be encouraged to complete the project on time instead of discouraging it.
"Nepali Army cannot delay the project.
We are committed to proceeding with the procurement process transparently and in line with the laws. The Army is also committed to it," he said.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 18, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
