India begins procuring for MRPs; govt to await SC decision

KATHMANDU, April 11: India has already begun the process of procuring raw material and equipment needed for printing Nepali machine readable passports (MRPs) so as to deliver the passport booklets to Nepal as early as possible, said an official at the Indian embassy here.

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"Work on Nepali machine readable passports began immediately after the technical agreement was signed [on March 23]," said the official on condition of anonymity when asked about progress in printing the passports. [break]

India´s government-owned Security Printing and Minting Corporation, which has got the machine readable passport (MRP) contract for three years, was under pressure to begin work without wasting any time once the agreement was reached, said the official. According to the agreement, India is required to supply the MRPs within 10 weeks after March 23.

Asked about the SC stay order until the next hearing on the deal with India and the directive from the Public Accounts Committee to the government to start the process anew, the official said," We hope the government will defend its case before the court."

Meanwhile, government sources say they will wait for the Supreme Court decision on Monday when the apex court is to decide whether to continue its April-7 stay order on the MRP contract to India.

According to a source at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the government will go ahead with its deal with India on procuring the passports if the Supreme Court Monday nullifies the stay order issued by a single bench.

"In that case, the government will be in a better position to defend its case before the Public Accounts Committee of parliament," the source said. The committee has questioned the deal with India and directed the government to quash the deal and procure the passport booklets through a competitive process.

But the government, the source further said, will close the chapter with India if the stay order is continued on Monday."In that case, the government will have no option but to initiate a new process to procure the passports," said the source.

It also said that the government has been in communication with the Indian embassy following the SC stay order and the PAC decision. "Should the SC continue its stay order the Indian government will understand our limitations."