12 February 2004	Thursday	20 Zilhaj 1424

ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) has given the green light to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to go ahead with the fourth phase of the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and repair of the existing three components in I-9 area, a source in the CDA told Dawn on Wednesday.

The source said the Bureau had taken note of a complaint filed by a company, Shahzad and Brothers, that the CDA had not entertained it during bidding for the project. The Bureau inquired the CDA chairman, Kamran Lashari, about the matter who gave a detailed briefing to the NRB officials on the project.

Mr Lashari told the NRB officials that three companies had qualified for bidding, while the complainant firm did not participate in the pre-qualification process.

"After two months of pre-qualification process and submission of bidding by the three firms, the complainant firm demanded its inclusion in the bidding," Mr Lashari told the NRB officials.

The CDA chairman said the complainant firm, which claimed to be a sister organisation of a French firm, Bouegues, had no experience in sewage treatment rather it was a construction company.

Later, the NRB turned down the plea of the complainant firm and cleared the process. The source said the French government, which was funding the installation of the sewage treatment plant, had expressed its dissatisfaction with the attitude of the complainant firm. The source said the French government had released a sum of Rs913.3427 million for the project.