KATHMANDU, Jan 10: A printing machine bought by the Election Commission (EC) eight years ago to print voter lists and identity cards has never been put to use—and now sits abandoned. Despite owning the machine, the EC has spent millions of rupees outsourcing the printing of voter materials for every election since its purchase. According to the EC, the machine will not be used even in the upcoming March 5 election.
Since its purchase, several elections have taken place, including the three-tier elections in 2074 BS, by-elections in 2076 BS, the National Assembly election in 2078 BS, the three-tier elections in 2079 BS, and the National Assembly election in 2080 BS.
Efforts to operationalize the machine are now reportedly underway. A seven-member team led by engineer Ramchandra Paudel, including engineers from various government agencies, was formed in December to assess the machine. Fifteen days later, the team recommended bringing in foreign technicians to study it further. “Preparations are underway to bring foreign technicians as suggested,” EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said. “We are trying to make the machine operational as soon as possible.”
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Currently, the machine remains in the EC’s office, unused and reportedly not in working condition. It was purchased during the tenure of former Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav. Sources say internal inefficiencies and the machine’s quality are the main reasons it has remained idle.
Under Rule 31 of the Public Procurement Regulations 2064 BS, goods costing more than Rs 2 million require competitive bidding. However, Section 38 of the Election Commission Act, 2073 BS, allows urgent procurement of election materials without following full procedures. Using this provision, the machine was purchased in August 2017 during the tenure of Yadav and Commissioner Ishwari Prasad Paudel. “Some staff had already expressed concerns at the time,” sources said.
The EC estimated the total cost of the machine at Rs 267,688,000, including VAT. The plan was to buy one high-speed digital color printer and two high-speed digital monochrome printers. Minimal formalities were followed to allow competition. Eventually, Omni Business Corporate International Pvt. Ltd. won the contract at Rs 246,724,000. Shastra Network Solution Inc. and Imagine Technologies Pvt. Ltd. had also submitted bids but were not selected. The EC bought one color printer for Rs 105,540,000 (excluding VAT) and a monochrome printer for Rs 112,800,000.
The Office of the Auditor General repeatedly raised concerns about the purchase. Its 56th, 57th, and 58th annual reports noted that the machines had not been used—even during the 2076 BS by-elections—and pointed out that printing continued externally despite high-capacity machines being available. The reports stressed that proper arrangements for manpower and paper were essential to make the machines operational.
The 57th report highlighted that two digital color printers purchased in Mangsir 2074 for Rs 218,340,000 had never been used. Although the EC had promised to use them for the March 29, 2019 by-elections, they were still unused.
Due to a lack of skilled personnel and necessary materials, the EC had to outsource printing to the Janak Education Material Center at a cost of Rs 26,709,000. “It was not appropriate to buy high-cost machines and leave them idle. Proper manpower and other arrangements should have been made to operationalize them,” a source said. The EC reportedly sent related documents to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority a year ago.
