KATHMANDU, Jan 8: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday issued a show cause notice against the government´s recent decision to upgrade the 60-megawatt Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project to 90 megawatts.
A single bench of Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi also decided to hold discussions with the petitioner and the defendants regarding the issue on January 15.
Challenging the government´s decision, advocate Lokanath Chapagain on Monday had moved the apex court arguing that the government´s decision is against the existing Public Procurement Act. The petitioner had urged the SC to scrap the government´s decision.
The petitioner has claimed that the project upgradation would add unnecessary financial burden on the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and delay the project by three more years.
The run-of-the-river project is being developed by a Chinese contractor China Gezhouba group Co with US$ 89 million soft loan from the Exim Bank of China. The project will not help reduce load-shedding during the dry season and generate additional power only during the rainy season.
Though, the contractor had initially agreed to develop the 90 MW for US$ 111 million, the government has agreed to spend US$ 132 million. The government had awarded the project to the Chinese contractor to develop the 60 MW at the cost of US$ 89 million.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, the prime minister´s office, Ministry of Energy, Nepal Electricity Authority and China Gezhouba group Co, among others, have been made defendants in the writ petition.
Source : Republica online
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त्रिशूली–३ ‘ए’ मा कारण देखाऊ आदेश
पुस २४, काठमाडौं । माथिल्लो त्रिशूली–३ ‘ए’ जलविद्युत् आयोजनाको क्षमता वृद्धि गरी ९० मेगावाट पुर्याउने सरकारको निर्णयविरुद्ध परेको रीटको सुनुवाइ गर्दै सर्वोच्च अदालतले कारण देखाऊ आदेश जारी गरेको छ । मन्त्रिपरिषद्ले पुस १९ गते सो आयोजनाको क्षमता ६० मेगावाटबाट ९० पुर्याउन लिएको निर्णयविरुद्ध अधिवक्ता लोकनाथ चापागार्इंले सर्वोच्चमा सोमवार रीट दायर गरेका थिए । उक्त रीटमाथि सुनुवाइ गरी प्रधान न्यायाधीश खिलराज रेग्मीको एकल इजलासले छलफलका लागि उपस्थित हुन विपक्षीलाई माघ २ गते अदालतमा बोलाएको छ । निवेदकले सरकार, आयोजना पक्ष र ठेकेदार गेजुवा ग्रूप कम्पनीलाई विपक्षी बनाएका छन् । विनाअध्ययन सरकारले सार्वजनिक खरीद ऐन, २०६३ विपरीत सो निर्णय गरी कमिशन र भ्रष्टाचारबाट लाभ लिन खोजेको निवेदकको आरोप छ ।
प्रस्तुति: अभियान
