“The PAC reached a conclusion that the cabinet decision to skip bidding process violates the existing legal provisions as well as the PAC direction to the government. So the committee decided to summon the prime minister on April 5 to clarify why the government took the decision,” said PAC Secretary Som Bahadur Thapa. [break]
The PAC had directed the government to revive the aborted international bidding process for the MRP project. On December 15 last year, the ministry canceled the bidding process citing technical reasons, though four international security printers had been short-listed for the contract.
On March 19, the cabinet gave its approval to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate with the Indian government for printing of the MRPs in such a way that the government would be able to issue them starting April 1, 2010, the deadline set by ICAO.
Some ministers taking part in the meeting had protested the proposal brought by Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala. However, Koirala said the government took the decision bearing in mind the fast-approaching ICAO deadline.
The ministers had argued that government could negotiate with ICAO to extend the deadline for issuing MRP, and that it would be wrong to go against the directive of parliamentary committee as the price proposed by India was not cheaper than those offered by other interested international firms.
However, Minister Koirala had insisted that it would be a matter of shame if the government failed to meet the ICAO deadline. She had argued that PAC directives are not mandatory and the existing laws don´t bar the government from taking the decision.
Nepal, as a member of the ICAO, a UN agency, is required to introduce MRPs by April 1. Non-machine readable passports can be issued only till March 31 and these will be acceptable only till November 24, 2015.
Government spokesperson Pokharel said MoFA will negotiate with the Indian authorities without undermining the PAC directive.
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