The PAC has also directed the Ministry, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Chameliya Hydroelectricity Project to start the construction project within seven days, committee chairman Janardan Sharma said. 

Most of the lawmakers who expressed their views in the committee meeting today alleged of utter misuse of national property in the project and demanded action against the then Minister for Water Resources, high officials of NEA and the people concerned and the misappropriated amount realised from them.

Normally, the construction cost of the hydroelectricity project with a capacity of generating a Megawatt of electricity is Rs 150 million. But in the Chameliya project this cost has now reached Rs 540 million, the term of the project has been extended time and again in the name of variation and the overall cost has been illegally increased, the MPs alleged, calling for preventing this practice immediately and issuing instructions for action.

Nepali Congress lawmakers Ramhari Khatiwada and Mohan Bahadur Basnet went as far as alleging 'large scale heist' of national property in the project and demanded no one found guilty in this crime should be spared no matter what their political affiliation. 

The MPs called for seeking the reasons why the construction cost of all the projects undertaken by NEA has increased.

The report of the sub-committee has suggested to bring former Water Resources Ministers Govinda Raj Joshi, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Baldev Sharma Majagainya, Bijaya Kumar Gachchhedar, Deepak Gyawali, and former Ministers of State Ram Bahadur Gurung,  Benup Raj Prasain, Thakur Prasad Sharma,  Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, and former NEA Management Committee chairs  Sarbendra Nath Shukla and  former vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers and  Minister for Water Resources Dr Tulsi Giri into the ambit of the investigation.

The sub-committee led by Rajendra Kumar KC  has suggested to inquire with Executive Directors of the NEA  Kirti Chandra Thakur,  Ajit Narayan Shingh Thapa,  Bishnu Bam Malla, Dr Janak Lal Karmacharya, Harishchandra Shah, Arjun Kumar Karki and Uttar Kumar Shrestha.

The then total estimated cost of the project was Rs 8.49 billion. Based on this estimation, cost for generating one megawatt power is Rs 283 million but it has reached Rs 540 million for generating one megawatt power now.

Prior to this, the contractor China Gezhouba Water & Power Group  had stopped constructing work of the project for two months after the Accounts Committee began investigating into the project.

The construction company had demanded additional Rs 1.09 billion for the reconstruction of the 843-metre tunnel of the project, citing it had contracted.

Reasoning that the construction works of the project were halted after the Energy Ministry directed the NEA not to provide additional amount to the construction company at a time when the Committee has started investigation in it, lawmakers suggested taking action as per the law if the construction works are not started immediately.

The lawmakers said that feasibility study was not carried out and works were carried out without maintaining transparency in the name of regional balance, and demanded to carry out further investigation into it.

The construction works of the project was started as per the master plan prepared by the JICA in 1993. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 8.49 billion but the expenditure of the project has now reached to Rs 15.063 billion.

The project would generate a total of 30 MW electricity. The agreement was signed with the construction company in 2009.Although there was a target to complete the construction works of the project within four years, it has not been completed yet.

The government has invested 14.41 per cent, NEA 43.24 per cent and foreign promoters 42.35 per cent in the project. The lawmakers expressed the view that further investigation should be carried out and action taken against the guilty, saying the Saman Corporation, a consulting company, also recommended time and again to increase the investment.

Those expressing their views in the meetings were Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Ramhari Khatiwada, Dhanraj Gurung, Bikas Lamsal, Mina Pun, Deepak Khadka, Bharat Saud, Pashupati Chaulagain, among others.