KATHMANDU, Feb 1: The Public Account Committee (PAC) in the parliament formed a sub-committee on Sunday to study the reasons behind the delay and cost overrun of Middle Marsyangdi Hydroelectric Project (MMHP).
Related news
The MMHP, a run-of-river type hydropower project with installed capacity of 70 megawatts and an average annual energy generation of 398 giga watt hours, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on December 14, 2008, four years behind its original deadline. [break]
Upon completion, the cost of the project stood at over Rs. 28 billion while its estimated cost was Rs. 13.65 billion. The plant´s construction started in June, 2001, with a completion deadline of December 2004.
The project site is about 170 kilometers west of Kathmandu, in Lamjung district.
Rastriya Janashakti Party leader and Constituent Assembly (CA) member Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani will head the nine-member sub-committee. Tek Bahadur Basnet, Ajay Chaurasiya, Anil Jha, Rabindra Adhikari, Shiva Narayan Urao, Prem Bahadur Singh, Kamala Panta and Ganga Parajuli are members of the committee.
The sub-committee will submit its report to PAC within a month. The PAC will thereafter submit the report to the parliament.
The PAC also issued directives to concerned ministries to furnish the details about the latest condition and whereabouts of the vehicles belonging to all government corporations.
Likewise, the committee instructed the authorities concerned to submit the details of those given assistance for medical treatment from government coffers.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Monitoring Committee has termed the government report about the progress on returning Maoist-seized property to the rightful owners unsatisfactory.
The meeting of the committee chaired by CA Chair Subas Nembang that took place here on Sunday morning, decided to seek clarification from Chief Secretary Bhoj Raj Ghimire over the matter on Tuesday afternoon.
The last meeting of the parliament had formed the parliamentary monitoring committee to see whether Maoist-seized property is returned as per the commitment made by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The Prime Minister pledged to return the property to its rightful owners within three months.
Related story
Project cost to reach about Rs 50 billion
-1200x560-1774606010.webp)
-1200x560-1783685616.webp)
