KATHMANDU, Aug 2: Italian contractor of Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) has not resumed works on the project, despite telling the Tripartite Portfolio Review Meeting to start works within seven days.
An official of Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti di Ravenna (CMC) had told the meeting held on July 27 that the works will be resumed within seven days.The meeting was organized by Asian Development Bank to discuss work performance of projects funded by it.
The contractor has halted tunnel digging works at Ambathan and Gyalthum citing damage in access road due to landslide.
"But it cannot be justified," Ghanashyam Bhattarai, executive director of the project, said. "Locals have been using the road every day. Project officials too are visiting the project site."
Tunnel digging works at Sundarijal and Sindhu are going on at a slow pace.
CMC has been carrying out headworks and tunnel works of the drinking water project.
During the tripartite meeting, Hun Kim, director general of South Asia Department of ADB, had criticized the project management for the delay. In the meeting, ADB had also raised the issue of disruption in tunnel digging works due to earthquake and landslides and. It had suggested putting place safety plan for minimizing risks and resuming works at headworks.
ADB had also suggested to the government to address problem of cash flow raised by the contractor.
Rajendra Prasad Panta, information officer at MWSP, said the government was positive about addressing the problem of cash flow. "But the contractor should first rescheduling the works and resume works immediately," he added
A separate was meeting held at the project site at Sundarijal among officials of ADB office in Kathmandu, Project Officials, consultant and contractor. Kim was present in the meeting. At the meeting, Kim had said why they should invest if the project keeps on getting delayed.
While starting works on the project in January 2013, the contractor had expressed commitment to complete the works in 156 weeks. As 93 weeks have already passed, officials say it is difficult to complete the project in remaining 63 weeks.
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