Contract Worth Rs. 2 Billion For Bheri Babai Project Canceled
May 18, 2020 | Investopaper
The construction work of the Bheri Babai Multipurpose Diversion Project has been affected due to the closure. The tender of Rs. 2 billion for the construction of gate and pen stock pipes under the second phase of hydromechanical has been canceled.
It is said that the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation has canceled the tender as five companies were interested in the competition but did not see the possibility of work due to the closure. The contract has been canceled as the contractor will claim compensation even if there is no work during the agreement. The work of the second phase of the project was started from 2076 BS.
The second phase includes construction of headworks, surge shafts, penstocks, dams and power houses. The work of the project will be extended after the cancellation of two big contracts related to hydromechanical. According to the project, the work of gate and penstock pipe will be done under hydromechanical. After the dam is built, the gate is used to open and close the river water. A gate is needed to send water inside the tunnel.
The water coming out of the tunnel is taken to the power house with the help of iron pipe (penstock) and electricity is generated through turbine. The last time a bid was called for the job. However, the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation said that the contract was canceled not only due to delays but also due to lack of competition in the spirit of the Public Procurement Act.
The multi-purpose project costing Rs. 33.19 billion has so far achieved 39.4 percent physical and 31.60 percent financial progress. The tunnel construction project accounts for 33 percent of the achievement. Some civil works are underway to prevent the project from being affected as the government has adopted a policy of lockdown to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
The government has instructed to keep the workers in close camps, keep them at a distance of one meter, and carry out daily health check-ups to continue the construction work of big projects. There are currently 130 workers working at the dam site Chiple. Arrangements have been made for all the workers to stay in the camp run at the project site.
The construction of the 12 km 210 meter long tunnel was completed in Chaitra 12, 2075 with the help of a state-of-the-art tunnel boring machine (TBM) built by an American company. Construction company China Engineering Overseas Pvt. Ltd. (KOVEC) has not handed over the tunnel to the Irrigation Department as finishing work, bio-engineering and other works are pending.
An agreement was reached between the Chinese company Guangdong and Nepal’s Raman Nirman JV and the project in Shrawan 2076 BS to extend the contract for the second phase of civil construction.
Construction of the project has been started with the aim of generating 48 MW of electricity in Babai by discharging Bheri water in Ward No. 11 Hattikhal through a 12 km 210 meter long tunnel by constructing a 14 meter high dam in Chiple of Bheriganga Municipality-5 of Surkhet.
