The parliament’s Public Accounts Committee held a hearing with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minster for Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala on Sunday about the bidding process for machine readable passports. Naya Patrika recorded the conversation between Committee member Prakash Chandra Lohani and Minister Koirala:
Lohani: Four companies were on the short-list. So one of the companies had to be given the contract. But the bidding process was stopped. Why?
Koirala: How long shall we talk about this? Ask me something else.
Lohani: Aren’t you the Foreign Minister? You have to answer all the questions this committee has.
Koirala: I have other programs to attend. I am in a hurry. Please talk faster.
Lohani: Who are you to give directions to the committee. I am not your secretary. You can go.
Koirala: Why are you angry? How long are we going to repeat this conversation?
For those who are offended that we sourced from a tabloid, The Himalayan Times writes about outcome of the meeting:
The Public Accounts Committee of the parliament today directed Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit all the documents within seven days regarding the progress it has made so far to introduce machine readable passports in the country.
The controversy over machine readable passports started when the Foreign Ministry stopped the bidding process in December even though four companies where short-listed. Koirala has said the process was scrapped because two of the four companies wanted to change their proposals at the last minute. Republica has more:
Replying to questions of the lawmakers, Koirala said the government would introduce MRPs through a bilateral deal with another country. But some lawmakers were of the view that MRPs should be given to a third country in view of national security.
The ‘bilateral deal’ is being worked out with India. On Sunday, Koirala said:
“We are only studying the Indian offer. We are yet to take any decision and the decision on the matter will be taken after evaluating the Indian offer,” Koirala told the committee.
The Committee said it was concerned about the fact that the bidding process was halted in the last minute even though the contract could have been granted to the other two companies.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation, an UN agency, wants all of its member countries to be using machine readable passports by 1 April.
Go back to previous page
i just read that the ministry has issued a notice that ppl who want to travel out of nepal should get their passport before march 31. otherwise they will be stuck in nepal. pathetic. really lamentable. might as well start to issue pp from new delhi to all the nepalese.
Oh this sick Sujata again! Somebody assassinate this bloody corrupt idiot. She neither has a good credibility nor has a good experience nor has a good educational background nor has maintain an honest way of living. All she has now is her sick father Girija, the man who institutionalized corruption in Nepal. Girija has no more than couple of years to live. When he passes away, the daughter will also remain no longer. Maoist please kick this lady out , present her before a court for corruption and money racketing case. She has given the contract of issuing the passport to India because a source claim that she has 90 US cent commission on each passport which will amount around $3.5 million dollar on total that is almost equivalent to 25 crore Nepali. Most of the money lands in State Bank of India(SBI) in New Delhi in her account.