Contrary to the practice, heads of parliamentary committees, Speaker and the government chief were not invited to the function organised by the CIAA to mark the International Anti-corruption Day. Instead, spiritual leader Swami Ananda Arun was present as a guest.

When asked about the snub, CIAA spokesman Shreedhar Sapkota only said the anti-graft body had not invited any one from the parliamentary committees. The corruption watchdog used to invite the prime minister, Speaker and the head of the State Affairs Committee and the parliamentary committee charged with overseeing its activities.

The government marked the day on its own where Prime Minister Sushil Koirala expressed his dissatisfaction at anti-corruption bodies’ “effectiveness”. “Despite the government’s zero tolerance on corruption, the institutions charged with controlling corruption have failed to check high-profile corruption,” Koirala said at a programme organised at the PM’s Office.

House committees and the CIAA are at loggerheads over the anti-graft body’s jurisdiction after it scrapped the licence of 14 hydropower projects. The Lokman Singh Karki-headed Authority scrapped the survey and generation licences of the projects for not completing the preliminary study.

Karki has been snubbing the Agriculture and Water Resource Committee of Parliament citing that the Legislature-Parliament Operational Procedure-2014 requires it to appear only before the Good Governance and Monitoring Committee.

Speaking at the function, Chief Commissioner Karki expressed dissatisfaction at the functioning of the parliamentary committees. “Electricity Act has a provision to cancel the licence of any hydropower project if they fail to conduct a survey within the given time. We asked the Energy Ministry to take necessary action,” said Karki.

Without naming any individual, Karki said “a handful of people” and “mafias” were demoralising the CIAA but it would not deviate from its responsibility of controlling corruption.

The Energy Ministry is considering overruling the CIAA directive to revoke the hydropower licences.

Under Karki, who was elected in May 2013, the CIAA has been accused of frying only the small fish and letting influential politicians and bureaucrats involved in high-profile corruption off the hook.

Karki said the CIAA was secretly probing 1,000 “big fish” on the charge of accumulating property illegally. He said that investigation into high-profile corruption was prolonged due to political instability and the sensitivity of the matter.

Terming civil servants “undisciplined”, Karki blamed them for growing corruption in the country.

Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudyal underscored the need to fight thriving corruption. “No reform is possible without taking risks. It’s time to take the lead to battle graft and develop the nation. The situation will worsen it this is not done,” said Paudyal.