Former Prime Ministers Girija Prasad Koirala and Surya Bahadur Thapa have taken away MWSP´s vehicles for their personal use. Koirala has grabbed a Toyota Turbo Jeep (Ba 4 cha 6661) since 2005, while Thapa has been using a Land Cruiser (Ba 1 Jha 6607) for the last six years.
Of the total of 35 vehicles belonging to MWSP, 13 vehicles have been kept by ministers, political leaders and government officials for personal use.
“Koirala and Thapa took these vehicles when they were the executive heads of the country,” sources at MWSP told myrepublica.com. Thapa has even illegally changed the vehicle´s white (government) registration plate to red (private) with a new number (Ba 4 cha 8875). He has turned a deaf ear to MWSP´s persistent requests to return the vehicle.
Not only the minister, state minister and secretaries at the Ministry of Physical Planning but some officials from other government offices have also been using vehicles owned by MWSP. Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar and State Minister Sanjay Kumar Shah have taken away three vehicles each.
Of the total of 35 vehicles belonging to MWSP, 13 vehicles have been kept by ministers, political leaders and government officials for personal use. According to sources at MWSP, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works has caught a fancy on two more expensive vehicles owned by MWSP.
“It is justified to an extent that those leaders and officials who head the Ministry of Physical Planning use our vehicles,” Gajendra Thakur, executive director of MWSP, says. “But, even those officials who have nothing to do with Melamchi project are using our vehicles for years.”
Sources say even personal assistants of ministers have been overtly using Melamchi vehicles at the donors-funded project´s expenses. They fill up fuels and submit bills for payment at MWSP. Worse still, they also bring the vehicles at MWSP for repair works.
A few days ago, Melamchi employees seized a vehicle used by an aide of state minister Shah when he sent it to MWSP office for repair works.
“He wanted to take it back after getting it repaired at the project´s expense,” Uddhav Raj Aryal, president of Melamchi Water Supply Project Employees´ Union, said. “But, he had to return empty handed after all of us protested the misuse of vehicles.”
As the misuse of Melamchi vehicles continue, MWSP has hired two vehicles for about Rs 0.3 million a month for its consultants. At a time when there is huge public outcry over the consultants´ over-paid salaries, MWSP continues to spend more money for their costly vehicles.
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