The Postal Highway Directorate Project Office Itahari has taken back contract for the bridge over Kankai river from Pappu Construction after the latter failed to finish it in time.
The office has taken back the contract after the government started the process for blacklisting Pappu for failing to complete contracts across the country in time. Pappu, that had accepted the contract to complete the Kankai bridge in four years, has not completed even half of the works in seven years.
The bridge at 724 meters will be the second longest in the country after the 1,015-meter one over Karnali. There will be 20 pillars in the bridge that connects Jhapa rural municipality 2 in the east with Gaurigunj rural municipality 1 in the west.
But Pappu and Mahadev-Khimti JV, who bade Rs 304.09 million and signed the contract in May 2011, has completed only 10 pillars.
Pappu, owned by Federal Socialist Forum Nepal House of Representatives (HoR) member Hari Narayan Rauniyar, had received an advance of Rs 75 million for construction of the bridge. Chief of the Itahari office Bijay Kumar Mahato said the office has withdrawn Rs 30 million from the bank and taken back the contract from Pappu.
“We have withdrawn advance of Rs 30 million after Pappu did not complete work in time and ignored our repeated reminders to complete it in time,” Mahato stated.
Mahato revealed that junior partner in the contract Mahadev-Khimti JV will now complete the remaining work. The junior partner of a joint contract gets to complete the contract if the major contractor fails to work, according to the Public Procurement Act.
Mahato argued that it would be difficult to invite fresh bids as some works have already been completed. “We also asked the existing contractor to complete the remaining works as the cost would have almost doubled if we had invited fresh bids,” Mahato reasoned.
Pappu will still remain the main contractor in papers but will not be allowed to work on the bridge or get any payment. “There will be no actual role of Pappu in construction even if it remains the contractor in papers,” Mahato said.
