KATHMANDU, Dec 3: Secretary at the Ministry of Water Supply (MoWS), Gajendra Thakur, has claimed that the construction work of the much-awaited Melamchi Water Supply Project will be completed within two months.

Responding to the queries of lawmakers under parliament’s Development and Technology Committee on Sunday, Secretary Thakur assured the parliamentarians that the project will be completed within two months, while blaming his predecessors for the sluggish pace of construction.

“Whatever happened in the past cannot be undone,” he said, “But for now, I can assure you that the Melamchi Water Supply Project will be completed in two months.” 

The project has been under public scrutiny over the last decade due to the laggard pace at which its construction has been taking place.

Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar was absent during the parliamentary committee meeting even though the committee had sought her presence while executive director of the Melamchi Water Supply Project, Surya Raj Kandel, attended the meeting. 

The committee has directed the authorities at the project to make sure that the general public of Kathmandu Valley will be served with drinking water as per the World Health Organization’s set standards as soon as possible. The committee also decided to conduct an on-site study and inspection of the project to learn about its progress.

The Melamchi Water Supply Project was envisioned by the then Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in 1991. The project was finally initiated in December 2000, with an objective to complete it by 2007. But it is still under construction.

 
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