ADB Funded Road Project in Lumbini Sees Competition Among Nepali, Indian, and Chinese Firms

Butwal. Competition among Nepali, Indian, and Chinese construction companies has been observed in the road construction contract for the Lumbini region under the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

For the road construction from Mahila Bar to Jhulanipur via Mogalaha-Masina-KukurBhukwa to Bhainsahiya within Lumbini Cultural Municipality, 12 companies have submitted tenders for a contract worth approximately 1.30 billion rupees.

Most of these participants are Indian construction companies. Nepali, Indian, and Chinese companies have submitted tenders both jointly and individually.

Lumbini Cultural Municipality Engineer Ashish Yadav told Ratopati that Chinese and Indian companies are competing for the contract. Out of the 12 tenders, only 3 companies have submitted proposals individually, while the rest have participated in joint ventures.

Among those who submitted tenders individually are Nepali construction companies Lama Construction Pvt. Ltd. and Sharma Construction Pvt. Ltd. Similarly, Indian company Vijay Construction Pvt. Ltd. has also registered a tender individually. Other companies have participated in the tender process by forming partnerships (joint ventures) with Nepali construction companies.

According to Lumbini Cultural Municipality Engineer Yadav, Chinese and Indian companies have submitted tender forms jointly with Nepali construction companies, and the evaluation process of these proposals is currently underway. The evaluation committee includes the Chief Administrative Officer of the municipality, the Chief Accountant, and Engineer Yadav as members. He stated that the evaluation work is being carried out with the aim of finalizing it within a few days.

Companies participating in the competition include Lama Construction Company Pvt. Ltd., Vijay Construction (India) Pvt. Ltd., Sharma & Company Pvt. Ltd., who have participated in the tender individually. Diwa-Babul-ShyamSundar Joint and EK-KMSPL Joint are also included.

Similarly, Niraj-Fewa Joint, NNT-Navasrijanshil, Swachhanda-Rayamajhi, Swikar-Anu, TSR-ART Vedalaya Joint, VBEL-Gauri Parvati Align Joint, and TB Joint are also participating.

According to him, this road project will involve the construction of a total of 12 kilometers of road, with one section being 8 kilometers and another section being 4 kilometers. As per ADB standards, the road will include blacktopping, drainage, approximately half a dozen culverts, road dividers, and CCTV installation. He mentioned that this will be a quality road with modern facilities.

The municipality stated that after the online tender for the construction of this 12-kilometer road was opened twice without receiving bids, the tender notice for submitting hard copies was issued with the advice of the ADB central office.

The police reported that a clash-like situation occurred due to obstruction by some youths during the submission of hard copy tenders.

Acting Mayor Kalpana Harijan told Ratopati that after the e-tendering process for the contract within Lumbini Cultural Municipality was unsuccessful twice, hard copies of the documents were submitted as per the advice of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) main office. According to her, a video of the incident had also surfaced.

Case Against Two Individuals

In connection with the dispute that arose on Jestha 18th during the submission of tender forms, the police have filed a case of hooliganism against two individuals. According to the District Police Office, Rupandehi, some individuals who were taken into custody based on CCTV footage after the incident were later released.

According to Police Inspector Dinesh Bahadur Kunwar, the acting information officer of the District Police Office, cases have been filed against Jeevan Shrivastava and Shakil Ahmed. He stated that their detention has been extended for further investigation.

It has also been reported that when the police attempted to provide security and facilitation during the tender submission, some individuals attempted to attack the police themselves, and during that time, some police personnel sustained minor injuries.

Initially, five people were taken into custody, but later three were released.

Doubt Over Project Completion Due to Early Dispute

The road project, with an estimated cost of approximately 1.30 billion rupees, is considered important for the connectivity of the Lumbini cultural area and local economic development. However, due to the dispute and clashes observed in the initial phase, local residents have expressed doubts about the project being completed on time.

Local stakeholders express concern that the incident of hooliganism within the office premises in a project funded by an international donor agency (ADB) carries the risk of sending a negative message to investors.

Ram Bikash Chaudhary, co-coordinator of the Lumbini Bachau Mahabhiyan, stated that the inability to conduct the e-tendering process effectively and the compulsion to submit tenders physically have also contributed to the increase in disputes.

Due to the absence of this road, local residents have faced significant hardship, especially during the monsoon season. A few months ago, locals had also pressured for the construction of main roads in Lumbini. Now that the tender has been called, locals expect that whichever company wins the contract will proceed with the work quickly and with quality.