By Our Reporter
Shailung Construction, notorious to hold several projects, has avoided avoid government blacklist as most of the projects it has won are left incomplete for years.
The company has been securing major construction contracts through unusually low bids, thanks to Pushpa Kamal Dahal for giving protection to a corrupt contractor.
The Shailung-Aravali Infrapower JV some five years ago had secured the contract to build a 15-kilometer long Bhatkepati-Nagarkot road while bidding 40 percent less than the estimated cost.
Although the road project was supposed to be completed within two years, it has not completed even 60 percent of the work in six years.
The company won the contract for Rs 279 million — some 40 percent less than the cost estimated by the government.
Instead of putting the Company in the blacklist, the Bhaktapur-Nagarkot-Sipaghat-Balkhu-Dakchhinkali Road Project has initiated a process to further extend the term of the contract.
According to the Road Project, it has already made a recommendation to the Department of Roads for one-year extension as per the request made in line with the Public Procurement Regulation (Eighth Amendment).
The Eighth Amendment to the Regulation has allows one-year extension, and the recommendation was said to have made in line with the same provision of the Regulation.
Although the Public Procurement Act 2063 BS has a provision to blacklist any construction company that works against professional ethics, the Department of Roads is preparing to extend the deadline for the fourth time for Shailung-Aravali Infrapower JV apparently due to a strong backing of NCP chairman Dahal.
Proprietor of Shailung Construction Company Sharada Adhikari has been able to avoid government blacklisting due to his “good nexus” with Dahal, who is now living in one of the houses of Adhikari in Khumaltar, Lalitpur.
Although the Department of Roads has already initiated the process to put similar defaulter contractors including Pappu Construction and Raman Construction in the blacklist, Adhikari has managed to avoid such action because of the strong backing from Dahal.
Officials at the Department of Road also admitted they were unable to initiate any action against Adhikari even though his company has defaulted on nearly a dozen major projects so far.
Some of the major road projects bagged by Shailung Construction are Balaju-Ranipauwa Road, Dholahiti-Saraswati Kunda Road, Kapan-Akashdhara Road, Aakashdhara- Baluwakhani Road, 9.1 kilometer stretch of Tripureshwar-Kalanki-Nagdhunga Road etc. All these projects worth several billions of rupees have failed to see any tangible progress even after several years.
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