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Melamchi Water by 2013
BY KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
The state-run newspaper ‘The Rising Nepal’ of January 26, 2008, reported that Minister for Works and Physical Planning, Hisila Yami said that Kathmanduites would have water from the Melamchi River by 2013, as her ministry has projected to complete the Melamchi Drinking Water Project (MDWP) by that time. Her ministry has made the project cost effective and the management team efficient. She also said that the major lender to the project, the Asian Development Bank has been ready to extend its credit for the project to 2013 and the local people are willing to support it, she was sure that the construction of the project would meet the target.
Talking to the reporter of ‘The Rising Nepal’ Minister Yami said, “The ministry has restructured the project and revised the cost estimate to make the project cost effective and efficient, and the donors are supportive to it." She said that only one foreign consultant out of three has remained and a significant number of local staffs have been cut down. The MDWP office will move to the state-owned trolley-bus building to save the Rs. 300,000 monthly rent for the office.
By the end of the February, the Ministry will sign a contract with the Poyry Infra AG of Finland for the supervision consultant for the construction of the tunnel and two-thirds of the project staffs will be in the field. After the contract agreement, the ministry will select a construction contractor for constructing the tunnel.
Royal commission on Corruption Control (RCCC) charged Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Departmental Minister Prakash Man Singh with embezzling the Melamchi Drinking Water Project funding in 2005. For which they served one-year jail term. The Supreme Court of Nepal saved them from further staying in jail ruling the RCCC was unconstitutional and all its decision were unconstitutional, too. The project has been delayed because of the inherent corruption in it.
