Kathmandu, September 5: The public account committee under the House of Representatives has directed the completion of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project soon. The committee chair Bharat Kumar Shah, in a meeting held yesterday, to discuss the project directed the Ministry of Water Supply and the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Board to process and distribute drinking water from the Bagmati river until the Melamchi project is completed.
In the meeting, lawmaker Lekhraj Bhatta drew the attention of the government to the project water pipes laid in the Kathmandu Valley bursting out. Rajendra Kumar KC sought exact details of the project after the Co-operative Muratori and Cementisti (CMC) Di Ravenna, Italian contractor for the Melamchi Water Supply Project, had abandoned the project midway citing its bankruptcy. Birodh Khatiwada sounded caution against the possible bursting of water pipes laid in the Valley due to water pressure of the project.
Dharma Shila Chapagain stressed the need for coordination among concerned authorities to speed up the national price project. Likewise, Prem Ale sought facts about the abandonment of the project by the CMC at a time when reports are like the CMC abandoned the project following reports of low-quality water pipes laid in the Valley. Lawmakers—Pushpa Kumari, Mina Pandey, and Mina Budhathoki—have demanded facts about reports that the project is getting delayed as the project executive director has his own company supplying drinking water to the Valley.
Responding to queries raised by the lawmakers, the ministry secretary Madhav Belbase said 95 percent construction of the project has been completed. A technical committee has been formed to probe the project delay, and the next steps would be taken accordingly, he said. “All the works of the project will be completed in the next 10 months,” he said. RSS
