KATHMANDU: Following public criticism against the government’s decision to let Omni Group procure health materials, Nepal government had scrapped the deal and handed the responsibility to the Nepali Army (NA).
However, NA, too, has not been able to bring those materials on time due to the lack of cooperation from the Ministry of Health and Population.
Highly-placed officials at NA complain the lack of cooperation from the Ministry, especially in bringing those procured materials here in Nepal.
“Although NA has already obtained 67 different health materials through G2G deal, due to the lack of proper facilitation from the stakeholder Ministry, bringing of those materials here has taken more time,” the NA source said.
“Despite the mandate, the Ministry and has not responded as per the urgency,” the source said.
“Sometimes even the documents handed to the high level officials of the Ministry get lost and later the Ministry claims it was yet to get the letter,” the source complained, adding, “Owing to the urgency of the situation, if we hand over the letter to the high officials, they should process it on a fast track.”
The source further claimed that the Ministry not only ignored the request, but also seemed deliberately dillydallying the process, and as a result the materials that could have come some days before are still stuck in China.
NA sources appreciated the role of Ministry of Finance and the Nepal’s Embassy to China in the procurement process.
The source is skeptic about the intention of the officials in the delay. “The longer the process, the more time the government ‘protected’ businessmen get to sell the materials they purchased earlier,” the source spoke in anonymity.
Few weeks back there was the news that some of the businessmen had been lobbying to disturb NA’s procurement process.
NA is bringing 48 tons of health materials via air route whereas the materials in similar quantity are coming through land route, i.e. via Tatopani customs.
Though the materials meant to be delivered through land routes have been dispatched, those coming from air routes are likely to take more time.
The way the Ministry is purchasing the stuffs from the government favored businessmen further support the allegation that the Ministry is working under the vested interest of paying those businessmen before more materials arrive from China.
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