Contractors threaten to block water supply over payment delay

By Gokarna Dayal,Baitadi, Apr. 19: The contractors who built a water supply system in the New City of Patan in Baitadi have warned that they will block the water supply, citing a lack of payment for a year. The water supply has not been officially inaugurated due to the delay in payment. 

Dan Singh Rawal, a contractor for a construction company, complained that he had worked on credit for two years and had payments due of Rs. 6.8 million lasting for a year now. He said that he had completed the project on time, mobilising a large number of human resources to construct one water tank with 80,000 liters capacity, two water tanks with 60,000 liters capacity each, one with 50,000 liters capacity and one with 40,000 liters capacity. Even, the construction of the water supply project office, the house for the security guard and road has been completed a year ago, but they have received no payment yet, he added.

Chhabiraj Joshi, chairman of the Consumer Committee, said that the water supply was constructed with the aim of distributing 230,000 liters of water daily by connecting two 25 horsepower electric motors from the Surnaya River to supply water to the city. 

He said, "Five water tanks have been constructed for water storage, purification and distribution.” Since the municipality has not released the budget for the project, payment to the contractors could not be made, he added. 

He said that 644 water taps were constructed under the water supply in the city at a cost of Rs. 130 million to distribute water to the consumers.

Deputy Mayor of Patan Municipality Kamal Singh Bohara said that after the payment could not be collected from the consumers for the service, the financial burden had fallen on the municipality. Even after solving the water problem in the municipality, we have been unable to pay the contractors, and if not this fiscal year, we will make payments next year, he added.