The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) is making preparations to seek support of the Nepali mission in China to verify the documents submitted by five companies vying to obtain Rs4 billion Dharahara reconstruction project. The authority, which is mandated to carry out the reconstruction works post Gorkha Earthquake of 2015, has said that it will soon dispatch a letter to the Beijing-based Nepali embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The reconstruction process of Dharahara, a nine-storey tower built in 1832 by Bhimsen Thapa, has hit a snag after the Joint Venture (JV) of Kalika Construction Pvt Ltd, Rasuwa Construction Company and CICO, China, filed a complaint at the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO), claiming that Raman Construction Pvt Ltd and its Chinese JV partner, GIETC— the other contractors bidding for the project— had filed spurious documents to land the contract.

The PMO had subsequently instructed the NRA to halt the tender process and investigate into the matter.

 “The NRA does not possess the capability of investigating such matter. We are doing our bit, but it isn’t enough. This is why preparations are being made to communicate with the mission in Beijing,” NRA Joint Secretary Rajuman Manandhar said.

As many as six companies from Nepal had responded to the Expression of Interest called by the NRA. All these companies had roped in Chinese companies as their JV partners.

After completing the technical evaluation of the six companies, the NRA had short-listed five companies for another round of contract awarding process. But the process was halted after the JV partners of Kalika Construction, Rasuwa Construction Company and CICO questioned the verity of the documents submitted by Raman Construction concerning its JV partner, GIETC.

NRA officials said all the Chinese companies had submitted notarised documents, taking full ownership of the submitted documents.

“The documents can only be verified in China. Which is why we are preparing to take support of our embassy in Beijing,” Manandhar said.

A NRA source said the issue had become complicated following increased interest from the political level.

 The application filed by Kalika and its JV partners provided ground for the PMO to intervene at the last hour, the source added.

“The process was moving ahead in a transparent manner. But now the PMO seems interested in initiating a fresh process of awarding the contract for the plum project.”