Oli’s good governance report card: Talking the talk but failing to walk the walk

It was August 2020. Covid-19 was at its peak in Nepal. But a different virus was plaguing Nepal’s ruling party as an internal dispute between then prime minister KP Sharma Oli and other party leaders had reached a tipping point.

During that time, the Department of Railways released a call for tender for the 106 km railway line from Morang to Sunsari. The Rs 33-billion project was to be divided into 54 parts and a tender would be called for each of these parts. In the meantime, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) felt something was wrong with the project and decided to investigate the matter as the tender was being passed without deciding compensation and preparing for the environmental impact assessment.