A dirty game to snatch contract worth Rs 25 billion !

KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 29: There seems to be a devious ploy to grab a construction contract worth Rs 25 billion pertaining to the Fast Track, Dubbed as a national pride project, the very track is being constructed by the Nepal Army (NA) to connect Kathmandu to Terai.

According to reports, some contractors/construction companies are trying to influence high-placed officials by cashing in on the tender notice’s loopholes.

Following the issuance of the very notice related to two different construction packages of the project- “8 A” and “9 B”- nine contractors submitted their respective bid applications.    In the first round of evaluation Axis GC Hanuman Baniya (JV), VPRPL-Bajra Guru Construction Company (JV) and JCE-Gauri Parvati Nirman Sewa (JV) were selected on a technical basis. But, Kalika Construction (JV), which also vied for the contract, was  excluded from the very army’s tender evaluation process.   And, the very exclusion has much to do with the failure of the army to comply with legal provisions.

During the period of the said process a case against Bikram Pandey, the director of Kalika Construction, was pending at the Special Court on charges of corruption in the Sikta Irrigation Project. Because of this, the army did not select the company for the evaluation process.   However, while doing so, it brazenly flouted the Public Procurement Regulations 2064 by not consulting with the Defence Ministry.

According to section 65 (a) of the regulation, it was/is mandatory for the army to consult with the said Ministry while dealing with a company like Kalika facing a corruption case.

The posture adopted by the army vis-a-vis the above-stated contractual part of the Kathmandu-Nojgadj fast track clearly suggests something fishy. And it is that a dirty game amongst the related players is at play to snatch Rs 28 billion.