Kathmandu, December 24: The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has directed the concerned authorities to maintain the OPC cement quality standard determined in May 1998. The PAC meeting yesterday concluded that the new standard set by the Nepal Quality Council would not maintain the quality of cement produced in the country.
The old standard required insoluble residue (IR) of two percent and magnesium oxide (MGO) at five percent. However, the Council had set IR at four percent and MGO at six percent. The PAC consulted experts and other stakeholders before reaching the conclusion.
At the meeting, the PAC Chair Bharat Kumar Shah directed the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply and officials of the Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology to not make any compromises in the quality of cement used for construction of private homes, public and private infrastructure. RSS
