Kathmandu. While a series of news stories are being published in the Nepali media about the raid on a media house by the police and the arrest of journalists, the government’s arrest and detention of the chief of the irrigation project has been overlooked.
The police had arrested Director General of the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation Dinesh Rajouria and Project Director Krishna Prasad Rijal on the instructions of the government regarding the contract of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project, an ambitious irrigation project based on the Sunkoshi River that flows through Sindhuli. The two were released at 10:30 pm on Friday after the Nepal Engineers’ Association issued a press release demanding their immediate release.
According to a report on Jalsarokar.com, the two were arrested from different places on Thursday and taken to the Prime Minister’s Office instead of police custody.
The Association had objected to the government’s move to fully comply with the established legal process and necessary grounds while detaining any person while respecting the rule of law, the process of law and the fundamental rights of individuals.
The Association has strongly demanded the immediate disclosure of the legal basis and reasons for their arrest and to fully guarantee their human rights and legal rights.
The government had been putting pressure on Director General of the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation, Rajouria, to cancel the contract of the Sunkoshi Marin Multipurpose Project. From the Project Office
The project had called for international competitive bidding for the construction of the remaining structures for the second time, saying that the old contractor of the national pride project did not complete the work on time. Out of 6 proposals received in the new process, three Chinese companies were qualified through technical evaluation. The financial proposals of these companies were scheduled to be opened on November 1.
Director General of the Water Resources and Irrigation Department Dinesh Rajouria and Project Director Krishna Prasad Rijal, who were arrested for pressuring for the cancellation of the contract, were released last night. They were released at around 10:30 pm. They were released only after the project issued a public notice on October 29 informing them that the contract had been cancelled.
The Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Project had called for tender for the construction on June 9, 2083 and out of the proposals received from six companies, only three were found to be technically qualified.
The government has done this when Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha is out of Nepal. Earlier, it was reported that the officials concerned were under pressure from the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the passport printing contract and the billing contract of Nepal Telecom.
The bidding companies can legally challenge the government’s decision in the appellate court for cancelling the second letter of contract without sufficient valid reasons.
