A technical team of a Chinese company has arrived in Kathmandu today by chartered flight for design of Express Way.
The Chinese team has been awarded the contract for the Kathmandu – Terai Expressway Project. The 14-member technical team that includes Poly Changda Engineering Corporation’s tunnel, highway engineer and manager will start design the project work, according to Brigadier General and spokesperson of the Nepali Army Santosh Ballabh Poudel.
Nepal Army awarded the contract to the Poly Changda Engineering Corporation for the second package, some 1.37-km from Simpani in Dhedre of Makwanpur to Chalise Kholsi and 1.4-km from Ghattepakha in Lendanda to Bandrekholsi, where they will construct two tunnels and bridges.
Nepal Army signed an agreement worth Rs 28.53 billion was with Poly Changda Engineering Corporation on April 13.
However, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had directed to stop pre-qualification and start a new process saying that there would be no competition, if only one company was selected in the package. But with the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's back up the Nepal Army did not back off the agreement and went on with the Poly Changda Engineering Corporation to start the work.
The PAC had asked to stop the contract suspecting that there might have been a big manipulation. But the Nepal army has moved ahead with the construction in defiance of the PAC directive saying that it is in accordance with the Public Procurement Regulations and the Act.
There are three tunnels of about 6-km on the Express Way.
The first package that includes a 3,300-kilometer tunnel under construction at Mahadevdanda, a motorable bridge and a road section was commissioned by China State Engineering Corporation Ltd. The contract was awarded at a cost of Rs 21.61 billion for the first package that will also start soon as a team from the company is also conducting a survey.
The Nepal Army has planned to complete the design in 6 months and construction in 3 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment