CIAA files case against 12
individuals, including lawmaker Rauniyar
Kathmandu, Oct. 5:
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on
Friday filed a case against 12 individuals, including the lawmaker Hari Narayan
Prasad Shah Rauniyar and government officials, involved in building a
substandard bridge over the Babai River in Jabdighat of Bardiya district.
With a corruption case filed against him at the Special Court in
Kathmandu, Rauniyar’s membership of the Federal Parliament has been suspended
by default. He is representing Parsa district-3 in the House of
Representatives.
The bridge connecting the district headquarters Gulariya and Barbardiya
Municipality was collapsed immediately after its completion even before it was
officially handed over to the Department of Roads (DoR).
The anti-graft body had filed the corruption case after investigating
compliant that the contractors and concerned government authorities colluded to
use substandard materials, and the bridge was tilted even while it was under
construction.
Other accused of corruption include Rauniyar’s son and Chairman of the
company Sumit Rauniyar, Chiefs of Division Road Office during the bridge
construction period BhanuYadav, Rajesh Kumar Yadav and Manoj Shrestha,
officiating chiefs of the office Nawa Raj K. C., engineers Dipendra Bahadur Bista,
Prem Prasad Chuwai and Hari Bahadur Bista, sub-engineers Karma Tenzing Tamang,
and Govinda Gaire, and owner of Everest Engineering Consultant Krishna Dev Yadav.
According to Deputy Spokesperson of the CIAA Madan Koirala, Rs. 193.2
million fine, money equivalent to the actual loss, is demanded from the Rauniyar
father and son.
Similarly, Rs. 150.8 million from Tamang, Rs. 75.4 million from Khadka,
Rs. 69.2 million from K. C., Rs. 31.9 million from Chuwai, Rs. 19.5 million
from Gaire and Rs. 16.1 million from Bista is demanded as per the
misappropriation.
Likewise, the anti-graft body has demanded the payment of Rs. 31.4
million from Rajesh Kumar Yadav, Rs. 92.4 million from Shrestha and Rs. 19.5
million from Joshi.
Division Road Office, Nepalgunj and Pappu Construction had signed a
contract to construct the bridge seven years ago.
According to the CIAA, the contractor had exhibited an utter carelessness
while building the bridge. The technical officers of the government agency
intentionally allowed the builder to continue with the substandard work and did
not check the Quality Assurance Plan and recommended for the payment without
proper inspection and quality approval.
The contractor did not build the bridge according to the design. It
collapsed as it couldn’t bear the load of the bridge because the piles’ depth
was not maintained as per the design and cavities were created in the piles, said
the CIAA.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 October 2018.
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