Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Mohammad Ishtiyaq Rai has said that landlord of CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been punished as per his efforts for policy reform.
In a video interview with Setopati he has stated that contractors who don't finish work in time are blacklisted and will not be awarded contracts for three years. He has added that Dahal's landlord contractor Sharada Prasad Adhikari has been punished as part of that.
"We blacklisted the landlord (Adhikari). The Supreme Court stayed it. But we won the case. We have already blacklisted him for three years. We will now build the Piple-Sisdole road through fast track. We will build it within four months. The landlord has now been blacklisted. He won't get a contract for three years."
Rai, who is from Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), has also claimed that the ruling coalition will forge alliance in the upcoming election despite the delay in agreeing sharing of seats and the parties will opt for friendly competition in the constituencies where alliance is not possible.
"There can be disputes even within a party on many issues and disputes are normal in two or more than two parties. We are starting a new tradition of coalition in our country. Such things happen a lot in India," he stated, "There is, no doubt, problem in sharing of seats. But there will be alliance. Everybody seeks honorable status. There remains chance of friendly competition at a few places. The parties are gradually narrowing down their stands."
Nepali Congress (NC) demanded candidacy in 100 out of 165 House of Representatives (HoR) seats to be elected through the first-past-the-post electoral system in the task force. CPN (Maoist Center) similarly staked claims for 60 seats, CPN (Unified Socialist) 40, Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) 32 and Rastriya Janamorcha two.
Rai has opined that Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Maoist Center) should be able to appropriately address the demands of other parties including JSP and Unified Socialist. He has added that the parties will lower down their demands and are not far away from agreement.
