Controversy Erupts Over Engineer's Posting to Road Project Built by Former Employer

A controversy has arisen regarding the posting of Senior Divisional Engineer (CDEE) Sunil Babu Pant, who is working under the Department of Roads' Kakarbhitta-Laukahi Road Project. The dispute has escalated because he has been assigned responsibility for a project currently being constructed by the same private company where he was employed before joining government service.

According to sources, before entering the Department of Roads, Pant worked as an engineer for the construction company 'Kalika Construction'. Currently, Kalika Construction is the main construction company for the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi Road Project.

Staff circles and experts suggest that there are doubts about the impartiality of decisions Pant will make while holding a decisive position in a government project related to the company where he was a former employee.

They state that keeping him in that responsibility despite the risk of former professional relationships influencing sensitive aspects like project quality control, budget payment, and monitoring raises questions about the Ministry's transparency.

Sources claim that Pant received that role due to the interest of Keshav Kumar Sharma, Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport. His peers mention that Pant, who is Secretary Sharma's 'favorite' and a relative (brother), has consistently received opportunities in attractive and high-budget offices. Previously, he has worked in influential bodies such as the Pokhara Division and the Bridge Sector (Nepalgunj).

He has been involved with the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi Road Project for the past three years. According to Ministry sources, Secretary Sharma reportedly influenced the Minister to prevent Pant's transfer from that project.

A Ministry employee stated that Secretary Sharma succeeded in stopping Pant's transfer by arguing that changing the Asian Development Bank (ADB) 'set' could cause the project to fail. "This is not just an argument to save the project, but it appears to be a strategy to benefit by keeping a close associate in a position where interests conflict," that employee told Ratopati.

Pant could not be reached for comment regarding this matter. A situation where 'conflicting interests' arise in public procurement and project management is considered a major obstacle to good governance. Ministry employees state that such biased and controversial actions in staff management have demoralized honest employees on one hand, and raised questions about the future and quality of projects involving billions of rupees of state investment on the other.