The parliamentary committee took the decision Monday after finding that there has been no satisfactory progress in the construction of tunnel and headwork of the project, undertaken by the China Railway 15 Bureau Group Corporation (CCR15G).[break]
"The meeting directed the government to hold bilateral talks through a diplomatic channel with the Chinese government if needed," PAC secretary Som Bahadur Thapa told Republica.
According to him, the committee also instructed the government to keep the project in its top priority, carry out the work in accordance with a calendar of events and instruct the contractor to deploy additional manpower and necessary equipment at the project site.
The instruction was given after top project officials sought support from the parliamentary committee with regard to expediting the project work. "The work at the project can be expedited once we are able to draw the attention of the Chinese government and for that talks should be held at the government level," Hari Sharma, executive director of the project, said at the meeting where Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hridayesh Tripathi was also present.
According to officials, the contractor is deploying just 356 persons at the site while around 500 are needed to carry out the work in a full-fledged scale. The contractor also needs eight more heavy equipment.
After the ministry drew the attention of the company´s headquarters toward the necessities; the company´s chairman visited Nepal and the project site last month and committed to fulfill the requirement soon.
The project which is designed to supply about 170 million liters a day to Kathmandu Valley from the Melamchi River in Sindhupalchowk district was supposed to complete by 2013. The valley denizens have been facing acute shortage of drinking water as the current demand in the Valley is 320 million liters per day.
During his visit, CR15G chairman had committed in writing that his company will complete the construction of the 26.3-kilometer tunnel and headwork by 2014.
The company was awarded the contract in February 2009. "It is unlikely to complete by the deadline because only 10 percent of the total length of the tunnel has been completed so far," said Sharma.
The ministry´s secretary Tulsi Prasad Sitaula informed lawmakers that there has been some progress in the work since the chairman´s visit but "it is still not satisfactory".
Lawmakers who aired their views at the meeting emphasized the need for giving top priority to the project and holding bilateral talks with the Chinese government.
The minister, secretary and the project officials were summoned at the meeting after a group of lawmakers came up with a report after three-day visit at the project site.
Work at the project had been halted for months due to obstruction by various local groups but there is no hindrance for the last six months.
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