The government has launched an investigation against Pappu Construction after a flurry of complaints against the contracting company. A five-member probe committee began the investigation from Sunday after many complaints were lodged that the roads and bridges constructed by the company were sub-standard and most of the projects contracted to it were in disarray.

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport had formed the committee under Western Regional Road Division Chief Deepak Shrestha a week ago. The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) had also sought details of Pappu Construction.

“We have asked the Ministry to provide all the details on why the projects were not completed on time, and why the problems arose,” said OPMCM Secretary KedarBahadurAdhikari, adding, “The Ministry has been directed to provide the details within 15 days. We will think about the action once we receive the report.”

The committee has been given 10 days. “We received a letter tagged as confidential, we cannot divulge all the details now,” said Committee Coordinator Shrestha. “We have already started the work. We will complete the investigation even by extending the deadline,” he said.

According to a Post investigation earlier this week, of the 41 bridge construction contracts snagged by Pappu and its joint venture partners, the company has missed the deadline on 25 deals, while progress in all the remaining projects is dismal.

Besides bridge contracts, Pappu Construction is also deeply involved in the construction of road sections along the Postal Highway. Of the total 14 road packages, Pappu Construction is involved in 10 projects, whose combined contract amount stands at Rs5.25 billion, according to the Postal Highway Project.

Contracts for as many as 31 bridges, worth around Rs6.3 billion, under the bridge division of the DoR, have been awarded to Pappu Construction and its joint venture partners. Two bridges in Kathmandu, over the Bagmati and Bishnumati, also being constructed by the firm, are valued at Rs400 million. Another contract for a bridge on the Mid-Hill Highway is worth Rs130 million.

According to publicly available records, the total amount for contracts across the country awarded to Pappu Construction and its joint venture partners is nearly Rs15 billion.

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