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MRP deal on rocky turf
- Cabinet asks chief secy to probe row
KATHMANDU, AUG 13 -
The Cabinet on Friday directed Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire to probe into the row between Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala and Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai over the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) deal.
Ghimire has been given two days to look into the matter. “Minister Koirala refused to approve the design citing several reasons, among them inexperience of the main MRP printer, Park and OPC, and also that she was bypassed by her own secretary on MRP negotiations.”
Koirala said, “I have doubts about the deal and its implications on national security. Therefore, for the sake of Nepali citizens, I demand a probe into it,” she said. She also accused Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai of fabricating gossip about her with some envoys, adding that it was a serious breach of diplomatic decorum. “According to the Public Procurement Act, the MRP design should be approved seven days after the Secretary seals the deal. If the secretary does not sign the deal, I cannot approve the design,” she told reporters.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has instructed that the issuance of MRP shouldn’t be delayed. A minister present during the Cabinet meet said that the prime minister put pressure on Sujata to approve the deal.
“Just three Nepali Congress ministers turned up in today’s meeting, and that weakened Sujata’s position,” said the minister. Energy Minister Prakash Saran Mahat also boycotted the meeting as he has a row of his own with his departmental secretary. Few ministers seemed interested in Sujata’s justifications, the minister said.
Koirala demanded a thorough investigation saying that she suspected kickbacks in the contract awarding the tender. “I was neither given evaluation documents nor was I shown contract documents. It is a technical issue and an independent probe is needed to ascertain facts,” she said.
The prime minister felt that the MRP issue has affected Nepal’s credibility and international standing. “We feel it is necessary to probe and expedite the process,” Peace Minister Rakam Chemjong said.
Posted on: 2010-08-14 08:23
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