“You are not supposed to make false claims at such programs where you are never questioned.”

MELAMCHI, March 9: Reconstruction of the heritages as old temples and Buddhist monasteries is in limbo in Sindhupalchok district even as five years have passed since the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake.

One major reason why Melamchi Drinking Water Project has become like a mirage for thirsty Kathmandu is because the political leaders in power have cared little to complete the project on time. We were told, months ago, that over 90 percent of the works have been completed and that it would take just a couple of months to get the water from Melamchi to the houses of residents of Kathmandu Valley.

MELAMCHI, Feb 13: An agreement has been inked with Panchpokhari Thangpal rural municipality in connection with implementing the Yangri Larke Project under the second phase of the Melamchi Water Supply Project.

One of the reasons why people are frustrated with the government is because the infrastructure projects launched by the government hardly ever get completed on time. Yes, there are exceptions. For example, the construction of 12.2-kilometer long tunnel Bheri-Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project was completed a year before the deadline and within the allocated budget in April this year. But other projects lie in limbo for years.

The government has signed an agreement with Chinese contractor Sinohydro Corporation Limited to complete the remaining construction work of Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has expressed his dissatisfaction against lack of publicity of good works carried out by the government.

KATHMANDU, Sept 24:Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has accused the government of engaging in a ‘shady deal’ while awarding the contract for Melamchi Water Supply Project to a Chinese contractor.

SINDHUPALCHOWK, Sept 7: The District Administration Office of Sindhupalchowk has issued an indefinite prohibitory order at Ambathan, Sindhu, Gyalthum Audit camp and Melamchi Drinking Water Project area to be effective from Friday evening given the agitation of the local contractors and labours.

KATHMANDU, Sept 4: The government on Wednesday has clarified that it could not pay the unsettled amount to the contractors who worked for Melamchi Drinking Water Project under Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti di Ravenna (CMC).

KATHMANDU, Aug 11: High Himalaya-Raman JV, which was selected for tunnel and dam construction of Melamchi Drinking Water Project, has been disqualified to work on the project due to blacklisting by the government's Public Procurement Monitoring Office.

MELAMCHI, July 27: The road leading to Charikot of Dolakha from Khadichaur of Sindhupalchowk is to be closed for three days for renovation and maintenance.

KATHMANDU, July 10: A high-level meeting of people's representatives has been held in Kathmandu at the initiative of the Ministry of Water Supply in a bid to expedite the much-awaited Melamchi drinking water project.

MELAMCHI, July 10, A woman was killed today after being hit by a bus at Chanaute of Helambu Rural Municipality-7, Sindhupalchowk.

MELAMCHI, June 27: The task force formed to resume works of the Melamchi Water Supply Project has urged the project's agitating local contractors, workers and suppliers to claim their due amount within three days.

MELAMCHI, June 25: Local contractors have agreed to allow the contract winning company to work in Melamchi drinking water project on two conditions.

KATHMANDU, June 21: Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation, Bina Magar has said the first phase construction of the Melamchi Water Supply Project would be completed in the coming fiscal year and water distributed in the Kathmandu Valley.

MELAMCHI, June 17: The second phase works under Melamchi Drinking Water Project have begun. As part of this, the government has started pooling land that falls within the project coverage area.

KATHMANDU, June 16: Hundreds of people from different areas of the three districts of the capital valley - Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur - staged a protest at Thapathali chowk in Kathmandu on Saturday, demanding the completion of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) at the earliest.

KATHMANDU, June 10: It will take at least six months to bring water from Melamchi to Kathmandu if the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) awards the remaining tasks to a contractor through a new tender process within the next few weeks.

When bizarre things happen, people in Nepal often tend to say ‘this is Nepal’ meaning that anything can happen here and nothing is impossible. This seems to hold true in many cases. This is Nepal and we still don’t seem to be politically stable. This is Nepal and so many political parties are here. This is Nepal and we still don’t have water from Melamchi.

SINDHUPALCHOK, June 4: Six months have elapsed since the Italian contractor Cooperative Muratori e Cementisti (CMC) di Ravenna has left the project work of Melamchi Drinking Water Project in Melamchi, Sindhupalchowk district but the workers and contractors related this project are yet to receive their payment thereby further enraging them.

KATHMANDU, May 30: The government has set a target to complete the remaining construction work of the Melamchi Water Supply Project within the upcoming fiscal year 2019/20.

KATHMANDU, May 15: Development Committee of the Parliament on Wednesday instructed the government to complete the remaining tasks of the much-awaited Melamchi Drinking Water Supply Project.

KATHMANDU, May 11: Arguing that some “invisible forces” within the country were involved in delaying completion of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project, ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the top leadership of the party is mulling a intervention from a high level to break the stalemate .

KATHMANDU, May 8: Three people were killed in separate road accidents in Sindhupalchok, Rupandehi and Tanahun districts on Tuesday night. Shur Bahadur Tamang, 65, of Indrawati-4 in Sindhupalchok died after falling off a running truck (Ba 4 Kha 7018) in Melamchi.

KATHMANDU, May 7: A board meeting of the Melamchi Development Committee two weeks ago decided to complete the remaining tasks of the project through fast track contracting and domestic civil contractors, but Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar has not yet tabled the proposal at the cabinet.

KATHMANDU, March 23: Parliamentary committees – supposed to be oversight agencies on government actions and inactions, anomalies and misappropriation – have so far failed to play any significant role in case of Melamchi Water Supply Project, which remains at deadlock.

As dry season approaches, water scarcity becomes one of the major concerns of millions of people living in the capital city Kathmandu every year.

KATHMANDU, March 11: The government has not been able to decide future course of Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) even though it has been nearly two and half months since CMC -- the Italian contractor -- abandoned the project site.

KATHMANDU, March 4: Melamchi Water Supply Development Board has already prepared contract documents for remaining works of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) after terminating contract with Italian contractor for tunnel and headworks – Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti (CMC) di Ravenna – of the project.

KATHMANDU, March 4: With the work at the Melamchi Water Supply Project stalled since the past several weeks following the exit of the project’s Italian contractor, the security guards and locals have started stealing valuable construction materials from the project site.

KATHMANDU, Feb 27: The government has already terminated contract with Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti di Ravenna (CMC) and there is no legal ground for the Italian contractor to return to work.

KATHMANDU, Feb 20: Water Supply Secretary Gajendra Thakur has been transferred following a dispute with Bina Magar, the line minister, on Tuesday over whether to let the Italian construction company complete the remaining work on the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

KATHMANDU: Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar has said that efforts are underway to bring back the Italian company to resume the stalled Memalchi project.

KATHMANDU, Feb 19: A dispute has surfaced between the Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar and Secretary Gajendra Kumar Thakur over whether to assign ongoing Melamchi Drinking Water Project to the Italian CMC Company yet again.

KATHMANDU, Feb 13: Ministry of Water Supply has failed to make assessment of remaining works of Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP), despite its commitment to do so at the earliest.

KATHMANDU, Feb 10: Meclamchi Khanepani Aayojana Pidit Sangharsha Samiti has demanded with the government to provide salaries and allowances to around 800 staffers.

KATHMANDU, Jan 29: Parliament’s Development and Technology Committee has directed the government to make concrete work plan to complete the remaining works of Melamchi Water Supply Project and award the contract through special procurement provision.

KATHMANDU, Jan 23: The government will have to spend about Rs 300 million to bring the Melamchi water to Kathmandu Valley under temporary arrangement, according to officials concerned.

KATHMANDU, Jan 21: Officials have vowed to complete the remaining work of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) by awarding a new contract through a fast-track process. The decision to award the contract will be made through a cabinet decision as a special arrangement allowed by the Public Procurement Act.

KATHMANDU, Jan 19: The government is set to issue a notice of contract termination to Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti (CMC) di Ravenna, the Italian contractor of Melamchi Water Supply Project, on Sunday.

KATHMANDU, Jan 19: The government is set to issue a notice of contract termination to Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti (CMC) di Ravenna, the Italian contractor of Melamchi Water Supply Project, on Sunday.

KATHMANDU, Jan 10: Project managers and staffers of Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti (CMC) di Ravenna, the Italian contractor of Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP), have not returned to Nepal despite making commitment to return to work by the first week of January after celebrating Christmas and New Year.

KATHMANDU, Jan 6: Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti (CMC) di Ravenna, the Italian contractor for Melamchi water Supply Project, has started bargain with the government through its local agents to come to resume works, according to government sources.

KATHMANDU, Dec 25: The Italian contractor company undertaking civil works of Melamchi Water Supply Project has pledged to return to work after a week.  In a letter sent to the Ministry of Water Supply, the Italian company CMC di Ravenna has said that its staff will return to work after celebrating the New Year, according to Gajendra Thakur, secretary at the ministry.

KATHMANDU, Dec 24 Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar has said there was no environment to trust the CMC De Ravenna company to complete the remaining work of the Melamchi project.

KATHMANDU, Dec 23: Prime Minister KP Oli has instructed Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar and concerned officials of Melamchi Water Supply Project to continue with the project works to finish it by the stipulated deadline, unperturbed by the latest developments.

KATHMANDU, Dec 20: Parliament's finance committee has discussed about the Melamchi Water Project with Minister Bina Magar and other officials of Water Supply and Sanitation.

SINDHUPALCHOWK, Dec 20: After the Italian contractor for the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) left the project site with an apparent intention to abscond, nearly 1,000 Nepali workers have found themselves in the lurch, with their salaries not paid since two months .