KATHMANDU, March 2: The Project Implementation Directorate (PID) of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) has refused to respond to a Right to Information (RTI) petition seeking complete information on the environment and public health hazards caused by its pipe-laying works for the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MSWP).
The petition, which was filed by activists on February 14, also demands information on the agreement papers signed between PID and the contractors involved in MSWP. “The haphazard digging activities on various roads of the Kathmandu Valley for the past few years have not only created difficulties in traffic management, but also made the valley's atmosphere dusty and dirty,” said a press statement issued on Wednesday.
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Stating that the haphazard and unmanaged pipe laying activities of MSWP in the valley has caused long-term health impacts on over 5 million people, the party said the people have the right to know if the stakeholders concerned, including the contractors, are carrying it out their duties as per the agreements.
“We believe that the information has not been made available fearing that financial irregularities, too, would be exposed,” reads the press statement jointly issued by Jagannath Lamichhane, Dibyesh Giri and Priyasha Maharjan.
On Wednesday, the activists re-appealed to the chief of PID to make the information available, according to the press statement. They have warned to file a complaint at the National Information Commission if the information sought is not made available within seven days.
