The parliamentary committee has instructed the government to select the supplier on competitive basis as per the act and to ensure the people´s basic right to acquire passports. [break]
The committee reissued the directive to this effect after a cabinet meeting last month decided to award an Indian state-owned company with the contract to print and supply MRPs canceling a bidding process in which four companies had pre-qualified.
The PAC had earlier on February 25 directed the government to revive the bidding process and award the contract to one of the four pre-qualified firms. Another meeting of the committee held on April 10 had reissued the directive to the government to immediately take the MRP issue ahead as per its previous directive.
"The issue of printing and purchasing of MRPs is a commercial deal. The committee has come up with a conclusion that the government´s decisions in connection with canceling the tender process have violated the laws and abused the authority," the PAC said in its decision.
The committee also termed the government move to "ignore and defy the committee´s directive" as unfortunate.
The committee has also drawn the conclusion that the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), who didn´t take any decision in time and remained indifferent toward their responsibility, and those who were in the ministry´s leadership in the last five years were also responsible for creating the present situation.
However, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has argued that the government decided to award the Indian company with the contract abiding by the PAC´s directive issued on February 14. On the day, the committee directed the government to talk to other friendly countries as well apart from India in connection with the matter.
As a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it was mandatory for Nepal to introduce MRP by April 1. As per the ICAO requirement, the government should introduce an e-passport system by November 24, 2015.
He also argued at the parliamentary committees that the government had to take decision under time constraints. In addition to PAC, another parliamentary committee on International Relations and Human Rights also summoned the prime minister Thursday and enquired about the controversy.
The PAC that stood divided over the government decision to award the contract to India finally came up with a consensus decision after several rounds of hours-long meetings. Failing to take any decision, the committee gave continuity to its Monday meeting.
On Thursday, the PAC meeting ended inconclusively even after eight-hour-long marathon meeting due to differences among the members. After rounds of formal as well as informal meetings, the members came up with a decision only on Friday.
Among the PAC members, Anil Jha of Sadbhawana Party, Ajay Chaurasiya of Nepali Congress, Pramod Prasad Gupta of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum and Laxmi Lal Chaudhary of Nepal Loktantrik Samajwadi Dal were of the view that the government did no wrong by awarding the Indian company.
Other members were against the government decision. The UCPN (Maoist) on Thursday called a nationwide general strike on April 12 to protest the government decision.
When asked what could be the ministry´s move following the PAC´s latest directive, MOFA spokesperson Durga Bhattarai declined to make any comment saying the issue is sub-judice. The SC issued a stay order till Monday not to execute the government decision authorizing India to print the passports.
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